Peru and New Zealand prepare for their huge 2022 World Cup playoff ties by facing off in an international friendly at the Cornella-El-Prat Stadium in Barcelona on Sunday.
Both will have their eyes firmly focused on the match to follow this encounter in Spain, although both nations will be eager to build some momentum by picking up a positive result regardless.
Match preview
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Peru will learn their opponent for their World Cup playoff tie on June 7, with the United Arab Emirates and Australia facing off in the AFC fourth round playoff in Qatar.
The South Americans progressed to the huge encounter courtesy of a fifth-placed finish in CONMEBOL qualification, finishing behind Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Ecuador, but impressively placing above the likes of Colombia and Chile to put themselves one game away from the grand stage in Qatar at the end of the year.
Ricardo Gareca's side will clearly be eager to avoid any injuries that could rule them out of the crucial match on June 13 when they take to the field against New Zealand on Sunday, but the boss will be looking for his players to put in a positive display in a bid to impress him and earn a place in his starting 11.
Peru head into this clash in Barcelona on the back of some fine form too, having been defeated just once in their last nine games across all competitions, stretching back to November 2021.
An impressive tally of 13 points from the last 19 on offer from their World Cup qualifying campaign were recorded during this spell, with two wins and a draw being recorded during three friendlies back in January too.
Therefore, Peru will be out to extend their strong run even further on Sunday in order to head into their upcoming playoff tie in the best possible shape.
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Meanwhile, New Zealand have their own goals of reaching the 2022 World Cup coming up soon, with a playoff tie against Costa Rica to be played on June 14.
The All Whites were only required to beat off competition from the likes of Tahiti and the Solomon Islands in the closing stages of the OFC qualifying rounds, so Sunday's encounter with Peru will provide a much sterner test similar to the one standing between them and Qatar at the end of the year.
In strange circumstances, it was in fact Peru that ended New Zealand's dreams of reaching the 2018 World Cup, owing to a defeat in a two-legged playoff way back in the nations' last meetings in 2017.
Danny Hay's side therefore find themselves in a similar situation to its opponents at the weekend, whilst a strong run of form has also been enjoyed of late in further comparisons to Peru as well.
However, as previously mentioned, New Zealand's opponents of late have been of a much lower calibre in terms of quality, but the All Whites could only beat what was put out in front of them, and that is exactly what they will be looking to do in Barcelona in order to continue building momentum ahead of their huge occasion in the near future.
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Team News
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Both Peru and New Zealand could well look to rest some of their big-hitters on Sunday in order to keep them fresh and free of injury ahead of their upcoming playoff ties.
However, neither will wish to head into their games on the back of a defeat, so a bunch of first-choice regulars are likely to play a part.
For Peru, captain Pedro Gallese could line up between the posts as usual, but the experienced duo of Luis Advincula and Carlos Zambrano could be absent from the back line through fear of injury.
Last time out, Peru opted for a midfield five of Edison Flores, Sergio Pena, Renato Tapia, Yoshimar Yotun and Christian Cueva, with the quintet boasting a remarkable 370 caps between them, with the South Americans naming an ageing squad full of experience.
As for New Zealand, Hay must decide whether to start Newcastle United striker, and all-time top scorer, Chris Wood in attack.
The 30-year-old has 33 goals for his country, and with the closest to him in the current squad boasting only a tally of five, Hay does not have many other options to turn to for an end product in the final third.
Captain Winston Reid has only played for his country over the past 12 months since his release from West Ham United last summer, and he may not be risked in the playoff with Costa Rica, so could be utilised on Sunday instead.
Peru possible starting lineup:
Gallese; Corzo, Ramos, Callens, Trauco; Carrillo, Pena, Aquino, Yotun, Cueva; Valera
New Zealand possible starting lineup:
Marinovic; Payne, Boxall, Reid, De Vries; Bell, Stamenic, Lewis; Rojas, Wood, Rogerson
We say: Peru 2-0 New Zealand
The outcome of this game could depend heavily on the lineups of both teams, as well as their character and desire in pushing for a win that would mean very little.
However, despite this, Peru certainly possess the greater quality and find themselves on a strong run of form, achieved against much stronger opponents than New Zealand have in their success of late, so it should be a fairly routine victory for the South Americans in Barcelona.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matthew Tranter
