World Cup Qualifying - South America | Group Stage

Oct 16, 2024 at 1.45am UK

Arena BRB Mane Garrincha (Brasilia, Distrito Federal)

Brazil vs Peru

Match preview

Brazil boss Dorival made a smart move last week when he put his trust in Botafogo's in-form players when they faced Chile. The Selecao got the win they needed to keep their impressive streak of making it to every World Cup finals alive.

Heading into the break, Brazil were on the brink of a crisis, but Luiz Henrique's late winner in the Chilean capital on Thursday has averted that.

Brazil fell behind early on, but it was another Botafogo player, Igor Jesus, who equalised, before his teammate scored the winning goal in the 89th minute.

The three points extended their winning streak against Chile to 17 games, but other teams around them also picked up points on matchday nine, so Brazil are still only two points inside the automatic qualifying places.

It's pretty unusual for Brazil to win three out of ten competitive games, which is why Dorival's job is currently on the line.

Another win is essential when they play at home against one of the weakest South American teams at the moment. A run of five straight wins against Peru should give the hosts plenty of confidence, even if their recent results suggest otherwise.

As the October window opened, Peru were the only CONMEBOL nation yet to win a match in the qualifying rounds. They rectified that on Friday with a surprising victory over Uruguay, 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. La Blanquirroja had gone winless in their first eight this time around, and they only managed to get one point in three group games at the Copa America in the summer.

The win also saw Jorge Fossati's side move off the foot of the standings, leapfrogging Chile up onto six points. While 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.

Peru have only made it to one World Cup in the last 10 attempts, so they really need to improve their offence and away games if they want to make it again.

So far in the qualifiers, Peru have only scored three goals, and most of their points have come at home over the last two campaigns.

Recent Performance

Brazil World Cup Qualifying - South America form:LLLWLW

Brazil form (all competitions):WDLWLW

Peru World Cup Qualifying - South America form:LLDDLW

Peru form (all competitions):DLLDLW

Injuries and suspensions

Brazil

No sidelined players

Peru

-- Luis Advíncula

Possible starting lineups

Brazil possible starting lineup:

Ederson; Danilo, Marquinhos, Gabriel, Abner; Bruno Guimaraes, Andre; Raphinha, Luiz Henrique, Igor Jesus; Rodrygo

Peru possible starting lineup:

Gallesse; Polo, Araujo, Zambrano, Abram, Callens; Sonne, Castillo, Pena; Valera, Flores