South American nation Peru will fancy their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages of this summer's World Cup. Here's the lowdown...
Peru Factfile
- FIFA World Ranking: 11
- Sky Bet outright winner odds: 200/1
- Best Bet: Peru Top Scorer - Edison Flores (6/1)
- World Cup appearances: 4
- Best World Cup finish: Quarter-finals (1970)
- Nickname: Los Incas
Coach – Ricardo Gareca: Known in his playing days as The Tiger, Gareca has brought together a mixture of experience and youth to create a Peru team capable of upsetting the apple cart. The Argentinian manager introduced a host of young players to Peru’s ageing squad and stuck with them, even when results were not going their way. The youngsters repaid their manager's faith and qualified via a play-off against New Zealand.
Legend – Teofilo Cubillas: Nicknamed The Pele of Peru, Cubillas is probably best remembered for his outside-of-the-boot free kick against Scotland in the 1978 World Cup.
He was awarded the Best Young Player accolade at the 1970 World Cup after scoring against the famed 1970 Brazil team in the quarter-final. Cubillas also helped Peru to their second ever Copa America title when named Player of the Tournament in their 1975 triumph.
Star Man – Jefferson Farfan: Now 33 years of age, Farfan (pictured, below) has been Peru’s talisman for the last decade or so. Plying his trade for Lokomotiv Moscow, Farfan scored the first and assisted the second goal in Peru’s play-off win over New Zealand.
Being based in Russia at club level may mean the three-time Peruvian Player of the Year will be more acclimatised than his team-mates.
Did you know? Peru’s captain and all-time leading scorer Paolo Guerrero is set to miss the World Cup after testing positive for cocaine. Guerrero is appealing the 12-month suspension on grounds that he consumed the drug inadvertently through drinking a cup of contaminated tea.
Fun Fact: During Peru’s qualifying campaign they were defeated 2-0 by Bolivia, only to be awarded the game 3-0 after it emerged Bolivia fielded an ineligible player.
Qualifying: A 2-0 aggregate victory over New Zealand in their intercontinental play-off came after finishing fifth in the South American standings.
Group E Fixtures: Denmark (5pm, June 16, Saransk), France (4pm, June 21, Ekaterinburg), Australia (3pm, June 26, Sochi)
Peru squad
Goalkeepers: Pedro Gallese (Veracruz), Carlos Caceda (Deportivo Municipal), Jose Carvallo (UTC).
Defenders: Aldo Corzo (Universitario), Luis Advincula (Lobos Buap), Christian Ramos (Veracruz), Miguel Araujo (Alianza Lima), Alberto Rodriguez (Atletico Junior), Anderson Santamaria (Puebla), Miguel Trauco (Flamengo), Nilson Loyola (Melgar).
Midfielders: Renato Tapia (Feyenoord), Pedro Aquino (Lobos Buap), Yoshimar Yotun (Orlando City), Paolo Hurtado (Vitoria Guimaraes), Christian Cueva (Sao Paulo), Edison Flores (Aalborg), Andy Polo (Portland Timbers), Wilder Cartagena (Veracruz).
Forwards: Andre Carrillo (Watford), Raul Ruidiaz (Morelia), Jefferson Farfan (Lokomotiv Moscow), Paolo Guerrero (Flamengo).
Peru Profile
Peru are set to make their fifth World Cup appearance in Russia after a 36-year absence from the tournament.
Inter-confederation play-off victory over New Zealand was enough to see the South Americans through, and they line up alongside Australia, Denmark and France in Group C.
They may be 11th in the FIFA World Rankings, but they are a huge 200/1 to lift the trophy in July, and aren’t even fancied to make it out of their group.
Former Argentina international Ricardo Gareca will be the man in charge. He’s nicknamed ‘El Tigre’ and was appointed in 2015 following stints at various clubs.
He has a big task ahead of him though and Peru are 9/4 outsiders to make it to the knockout stages.
Who to watch out for
Despite being in qualification with the big guns of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, Peru had their fair share of talent within their squad.
Edison Flores and Paolo Guerrero both finished with five goals each during qualifying, more than the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Willian and Angel Di Maria.
Farfan is also a player worth keeping an eye on. He has scored 14 goals for Lokomotiv Moscow this season, assisting a further seven in all competitions.
Alberto Rodriguez is a regular feature for the Peru side, and has captained them on a couple of occasions during qualifying. He’s made 71 appearances since his debut in 2003.
How did they qualify?
It was a difficult task for Peru to reach the finals in Russia after finishing fifth in CONMEBOL qualifying.
They did though beat the likes of Chile and Paraguay in the ten-team table and advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs where they met New Zealand.
Peru had drawn the first leg 0-0 in Wellington before Farfan and Christian Ramos were on target during the second clash in Lima.
It appeared a lot worse than it turned out to be after they lost their opening two games, winning just one of their first six.
Peru were given a helping hand during their game against Bolivia. They had lost the game 2-0, but their opponents were found to have fielded an ineligible player and Peru were awarded a 3-0 win.
Any interesting facts about Peru?
One of Peru’s most famous attractions is Machu Picchu, a 15th-century citadel situated on a mountain ridge which is nearly 8000 feet above sea level.
A total of 1,411,279 people visited the site in 2017 and it is both a cultural and natural UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Peru is also famous for the Amazon River, which starts in Peru. In total, the river runs for 4,344 miles, stretching across South America.
It may be a hot climate, but you can actually find penguins in Peru’s landscape.
Humboldt penguins are native to Chile and Peru and can typically be found on islands and rocky coasts.
Any famous football moments?
As a nation that has been absent from the finals tournament in over 30 years, it would be fair to say that recent times have been tough.
However, during the 1970s and 80s, Peru experienced their ‘golden generation’ and were regulars on the world stage.
Players such as Teofilo Cubillas, Pedro Pablo Leon, and Hector Chumpitaz were stars and helped to establish South American football as a firm challenger to European sides.
During the 1970 World Cup, they defeated Argentina on their qualification route and followed that up with Copa America success in 1975.
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Page last updated at 1600 BST on 28/05/18
