CONMEBOL WC Qualifiers: Peru vs Argentina Preview & Odds
Argentina on Top of CONMEBOL
Peru Scoreless Through Three Matches
It’s been three games and three wins for defending World Cup champions Argentina so far. La Albiceleste haven’t conceded in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers and will put their perfect record on the line at Peru on Tuesday. Peru hasn’t yet scored in three qualifiers and has won just one of their seven matches in 2023. Let’s check out Argentina’s chances to stay perfect in our Peru vs Argentina preview.
⚽ Peru vs Argentina ⚽
Day/Time:
Location: Estadio Nacional de Lima, Lima, Peru
Peru vs Argentina Head-to-Head:
Argentina has been unbeaten vs. Peru for over 25 years, but Peru has managed to pick up four draws in the last eight games. La Albiceleste’s unbeaten streak in this fixture is 15 matches. In the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Argentina picked up a 2-0 win in Lima and a 1-0 win in Buenos Aires. Lautaro Martinez scored in both fixtures, and Argentina have kept clean sheets in their last three matches vs. Peru.
Peru’s Struggles Continue
Peru’s start to CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers has not been pretty so far. They haven’t scored a goal yet and are 0-1-2. Peru vs Argentina previews mention that La Blanquirroja is in ninth place out of ten teams in CONMEBOL. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese has been the bright spot for Peru. The Orlando City SC keeper has made 13 saves and is a joint-leader in CONCACAF qualifiers.
Offense has been a problem all year for Peru. They’ve managed just two goals in seven games in 2023, but they have limited their opponents to nine goals. Gianluca Lapadula, who scored 21 goals for Cagliari last season, is out with a long-term injury. All-time top goalscorer Paolo Guerrero has started the previous three matches but hasn’t gotten on the scoresheet yet. Somehow, Peru hasn’t managed to put a shot on target in three qualifiers. Peru, 22nd in the FIFA World Cup rankings, will do their best to change that come Tuesday.
Juan Reynoso’s tenure as Peru’s manager has not gotten off to a great start, as he’s just 4-2-5. He could certainly be under pressure, given Peru’s recent form. Key Peru defensive midfielder Renato Tapia is out for this match, and outside of Guerrero, only Andre Carrillo has scored more than 10 goals for the national team.
Argentina Off to Perfect Start
Argentina are the only team in CONMEBOL who have won their first three World Cup qualifiers. In September, they defeated Ecuador 1-0 and took down Bolivia, 3-0. Last Thursday, Argentina kept yet another shutout as they beat Paraguay, 1-0. Nicolas Otamendi scored the game’s only goal on a volley. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi came on as a substitute and hit the woodwork a couple of times.
Messi hasn’t started a match for nearly a month and is still working his way back to full fitness following an injury. Regardless, Argentina created a lot of chances even when Messi was on the bench. Lautaro Martinez and Nicolas Gonzalez have been on fire in Serie A, and Julian Alvarez has been a key player for Manchester City.
Argentina have reasonable +800 odds to win the World Cup and defend their title and will undoubtedly qualify. La Albiceleste’s midfield trio is one of the best in the world, with Rodrigo de Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, and Enzo Fernandez. Goalkeeper Emi Martinez leads CONMEBOL with three clean sheets. Meanwhile, Otamendi, Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, and Nicolas Tagliafico have started all of Argentina’s qualifiers on the back line.
Argentina’s Match Analysis & Odds
Argentina heads into this match as -270 favorites to remain perfect. With or without Messi, Lionel Scaloni and La Albiceleste will expect to take care of business here. Bettors can take Argentina -1.5 at +120 odds, while Peru +1.5 sits at -150. Peru vs Argentina previews mention that La Blanquirroja hasn’t conceded more than one goal in a home match for over two years.
Peru did lose their home opener to Brazil, 1-0, and are +850 underdogs for this one. A draw is priced at +350 odds, and three of the last four meetings in Peru have finished level. Peru’s matches have been incredibly low-scoring thus far, and they figure to have a tough time scoring vs. Argentina. Under 2.5 goals display -137 odds for Tuesday’s match.
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