MX23RW : Saturday, December 14 14:53:02| >> :600:729236:729236:
[monks data]
Peru national football team
World Cup Qualifying - South America | Group Stage
Nov 18, 2020 at 12.30am UK
 
Argentina national football team

Peru
0 - 2
Argentina


Aquino (29'), Trauco (34'), Gallese (80')
FT(HT: 0-2)
Gonzalez (17'), Martinez (28')
Otamendi (60'), Lo Celso (73'), Ocampos (90+1')

Preview: Peru vs. Argentina - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's World Cup Qualifying clash between Peru and Argentina, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Winless Peru play host to a high-flying Argentina at the Estadio Nacional on Sunday in their fourth game of CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup qualification.

Ricardo Gareca's men suffered a 2-0 defeat to Chile in their most recent encounter, whereas Argentina had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Paraguay.


Match preview

Peru head coach Ricardo Gareca pictured on November 13, 2020© Reuters

Gareca has earned plenty of plaudits during his time in charge of the Peru national team, but the 62-year-old is yet to steer his side to victory in qualification for Qatar 2022.

Peru proved no match for Chile on matchday three as they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to their fellow World Cup hopefuls on Friday, with Arturo Vidal's double enough for Chile to take the spoils and leave Peru winless in the qualifying rounds.

Gareca has now gone over a year without leading Peru to a win in any competition, with the Bicolor's most recent triumph coming in a friendly against Brazil in September 2019 - a side they lost to 4-2 last month.

Peru will not take to the pitch in qualifying again for another four months following their showdown with Argentina, so Wednesday's hosts will no doubt be motivated to pull off a shock win as Gareca gears up to face his native country, with Venezuela and Bolivia the only two other sides without three points on the board so far.

Argentina players celebrate scoring against Paraguay on November 13, 2020© Reuters

In contrast, Argentina have made a strong start to their qualification campaign - as expected - but the South American powerhouses were held to a surprise draw by Paraguay on matchday three.

Angel Romero chalked up his third goal of qualifying from the penalty spot as Argentina fell behind early on, but Nicolas Gonzalez's header - set up by early substitute Giovani Lo Celso - ensured that Lionel Scaloni's men walked away with their unbeaten record still intact.

However, that one-pointer denied Argentina the chance to maintain their 100% start to proceedings, with La Albiceleste now two points behind early pacesetters Brazil heading into their final match of 2020.

Even without the presence of Paulo Dybala and Sergio Aguero, Argentina's famed attack still boasts some truly talented athletes in Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez, Angel di Maria and Lucas Ocampos, but goals have been hard to come by for Scaloni's side in qualifying.

Indeed, La Albiceleste have chalked up just four goals so far - the lowest in the top four - with bottom sides Venezuela and Bolivia the only two teams to have hit the back of the net on fewer occasions.

The most recent encounter between Peru and Argentina ended in a 0-0 stalemate, but the hosts have failed to beat La Albiceleste since 1997.

Peru World Cup Qualifying - South America form: DLL
Peru form (all competitions): LDLDLL

Argentina World Cup Qualifying - South America form: WWD
Argentina form (all competitions): WWDWWD


Team News

Ajax full-back Nicolas Tagliafico pictured in October 2019© Reuters

Peru have a couple more absentees to contend with for the visit of Argentina, with Carlos Zambrano already serving a ban after being sent off against Brazil.

Renato Tapia and Christofer Gonzales both picked up their second booking of qualification in the recent defeat to Chile, ruling the pair out of this encounter, while goalkeeper Pedro Gallese is doubtful.

Wilder Cartagena could therefore be tasked with occupying the defensive midfield role against the formidable attack of Argentina, while Pedro Aquino should start despite being taken off in the first half on Friday.

As for Argentina, Lo Celso came off the bench to bag an assist after Exequiel Palacios's horror injury - with the Bayer Leverkusen man fracturing a bone in his spine.

On a more positive note, Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico is poised to make his return in defence for Argentina, which could see last week's goalscorer Gonzalez pushed further forward should Scaloni opt for a change up top.

Gonzalez will be battling Ocampos for a spot in the visitors' front three alongside Messi and Martinez, meaning that Di Maria will likely be restricted to an appearance from the bench once more.

Peru possible starting lineup:
Carvallo; Advincula, Araujo, Abram, Trauco; Cartagena; Carrillo, Aquino, Yotun, Flores; Lapadula

Argentina possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Montiel, Martinez Quarta, Otamendi, Tagliafico; Paredes, De Paul, Lo Celso; Messi, Martinez, Gonzalez


SM words green background

We say: Peru 1-3 Argentina

Peru have already shipped four goals to Brazil and are sure to be nervous at the prospect of facing an intimidating Argentina front line given their winless run. Scaloni's men did not have it all their own way against Paraguay but will be determined to round off the year on a high note, so all the signs are pointing towards a routine win for La Albiceleste on Wednesday.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data


ID:422448:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect9325:
Written by
Ben Knapton

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Argentina win with a probability of 58.89%. A draw had a probability of 21.8% and a win for Peru had a probability of 19.31%.

The most likely scoreline for an Argentina win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.14%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.95%) and 0-2 (9.82%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.27%), while for a Peru win it was 1-0 (5.31%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 9.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Argentina would win this match.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

Who will win Wednesday's World Cup Qualifying clash between Peru and Argentina?

Peru
12.7%
Draw
6.8%
Argentina
80.5%
308
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Argentina's Alexis Mac Allister pictured in February 2020
Read Next:
Brighton's Alexis Mac Allister named in Argentina squad for World Cup qualifiers
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Argentina Argentina1281325
2 Uruguay flag Uruguay1255220
3 Ecuador flag Ecuador1264219
4 Colombia Colombia1254319
5 Brazil Brazil1253418
6 Paraguay flag Paraguay1245317
7 Bolivia flag Bolivia1241713
8 Venezuela Venezuela1226412
9 Chile Chile122379
10 Peru flag Peru121477

CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Argentina Argentina1281325
2 Ecuador flag Ecuador1264222
3 Uruguay flag Uruguay1255220
4 Colombia Colombia1254319
5 Brazil Brazil1253418
6 Paraguay flag Paraguay1245317
7 Bolivia flag Bolivia1241713
8 Venezuela Venezuela1226412
9 Chile Chile122379
10 Peru flag Peru121477


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!