Just days after a late win that has slightly eased the pressure on manager Dorival Junior, Brazil will welcome Peru to Brasilia in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying.
The last-gasp victory in Chile has kept Brazil in the automatic qualifying positions, while Peru moved off the bottom of the section with their first win last week.
Match preview
© Imago
Trusting in Botafogo's in-form players was something of a masterstroke from Brazil boss Dorival away to Chile last week, as the Selecao earned a crucial win as they seek to continue their fantastic record of reaching every single World Cup finals.
Heading into the break, Brazil were one bad result away from slipping into a crisis, but that has been averted thanks to Luiz Henrique's late winner in the Chilean capital on Thursday.
Brazil fell behind early on, but it was another Botafogo man, Igor Jesus, who netted the equaliser, before his teammate scored the clinching goal in the 89th minute.
The three points extended their run to 17 wins in 20 games against Chile, but nations around them also picked up points on matchday nine, so Brazil are still only two points inside the automatic qualifying places.
Three wins in 10 competitive fixtures is almost unheard of for Brazil, and is the reason why Dorival's job is under threat at present.
Another victory is a must at home to one of the weakest nations in South America at present, and a run of five straight wins over Peru should fill the hosts with plenty of confidence, even if their recent results suggest otherwise.
![Peru head coach Jorge Fossati on June 25, 2024 [IMAGO]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/26/jorge-fossati.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Peru head coach Jorge Fossati on June 25, 2024 [IMAGO]")
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Coming into the October window, Peru were the only nation left in CONMEBOL who had yet to win in qualifying, but they put that right with a surprising victory over Uruguay on Friday, once more proving that no country is easy to visit in South America.
That was Peru's first competitive win in two years, since the final game of the last World Cup qualifying campaign, with La Blanquirroja having gone winless in their first eight this time around, and they took just one point in three group games at the Copa America in the summer.
It also saw Jorge Fossati's side move off the foot of the standings, leapfrogging Chile up onto six points, and even though they are still five points adrift of the playoff place, there is still enough time for them to recover if they can build on the improvements they showed last week.
With just one World Cup appearance in the last 10 iterations, though, Peru must improve offensively and on the road if they are to reach another.
Peru have scored just three goals in their qualifiers so far, and the majority of their points across the last two campaigns have come at home.
Team News
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After a goalscoring debut in Chile, Igor Jesus is set to start in attack for Brazil once more here, and he could be joined by his Botafogo teammate Luiz Henrique, who was the match-winner in Santiago.
Dorival will be without Lucas Paqueta though, as his booking on Thursday has triggered a suspension, meaning Bruno Guimaraes is likely to come into the starting XI after only being a sub.
The main injuries for the hosts coming into the camp concerned Vinicius Junior and Alisson, with the Selecao likely to be without the latter in November's fixtures too, so Ederson is set to get the nod in goal once more.
Peru have numerous players out injured during this set of internationals, but that did not stop them from claiming a win on Friday, as Miguel Araujo netted his first goal for his country to take all three points, and the defender should start again in what could look like a back five for the visitors.
Important midfield duo Renato Tapia and Yoshimar Yotun are both sidelined with injury, while starting striker Gianluca Lapadula had to pull out of the squad late with a setback of his own.
Miguel Trauco and Anderson Santamaria were also set to feature had it not been for their injuries, but the three centre-backs that started against Uruguay have more than earned another chance in the starting XI here.
Brazil possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Danilo, Marquinhos, Gabriel, Abner; Guimaraes, Andre; Raphinha, Henrique, Igor Jesus; Rodrygo
Peru possible starting lineup:
Gallesse; Polo, Araujo, Zambrano, Abram, Callens; Sonne, Castillo, Pena; Valera, Flores
We say: Brazil 2-0 Peru
After just about getting over the line in Santiago, Dorival Junior would be grateful for a more routine success here, as claiming six points in October would do wonders for Brazil's position in the standings.
Despite a first win of the campaign against Uruguay last week, travelling away to Brazil is not the fixture Peru would have chosen next, even if the Selecao are not in the greatest shape, as they have lost all five previous meetings against their upcoming hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
Argentina
Uruguay
Ecuador
Colombia
Brazil
Paraguay
Bolivia
Venezuela
Chile
Peru
