Colombia and Peru have been handed the unwanted task of playing in the 2021 Copa America 3rd place play-off in Brasilia on Saturday.
Having lost in the semi-finals, neither side will be overly eager to take to the field this weekend. But the tournament formalities have to be respected.
¡De 2010 a 2021!1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ partidos de @Cuadrado con la Selección Colombia de Mayores¡Felicitaciones crack! 🪄#VamosColombia 🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/Uce1cOo9b1— Selección Colombia (@FCFSeleccionCol) July 7, 2021
¡De 2010 a 2021!1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ partidos de @Cuadrado con la Selección Colombia de Mayores¡Felicitaciones crack! 🪄#VamosColombia 🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/Uce1cOo9b1
Peru suffered a 1-0 loss to hosts Brazil in the semi-finals, while Colombia were beaten by Argentina on penalties.
Despite only managing to win one of their four group games, Colombia finished third in Group B, with one draw and two losses to their name.
They then managed to overcome Uruguay 4-2 on penalties in the quarter-finals, having played out a goalless draw after extra-time.
Although Luis Diaz scored a second-half equaliser against Argentina in the semi-finals, Colombia ended up suffering a 3-2 spot-kick defeat in the previous round.
It is worth pointing out that Colombia have only managed to pick up one victory from their previous seven Copa America matches.
When you look at the bigger picture, they have also won just five of their last 18 encounters in all competitions.
Meanwhile, Peru finished second in Group B – three points ahead of Colombia – after recording two wins, one draw and one loss during the group stage.
Following a dramatic 3-3 draw with Paraguay in the quarter-finals, Peru booked their spot in the semi-finals on penalties.
However, the Peruvians’ 2021 Copa America campaign was ended by Brazil last time out, as they suffered a 1-0 loss.
Let’s not forget that Peru have now lost ten of their previous 18 games in all competitions (five wins, three draws).
Head-to-head: Peru claimed a 2-1 victory over Colombia in the group stage, yet Colombia enjoyed the majority of possession and created more goalscoring opportunities.
Remarkably, that was Peru’s first win against Colombia since 2011. During that time, Colombia went ten games unbeaten against Peru (seven wins, three draws).
Team news: Colombia have no injury worries ahead of Saturday’s clash, although they could field a fresh starting XI with nothing left to play for.
As for Peru, Andre Carrillo could be restored to the starting line-up after missing the defeat to Brazil through suspension.
Colombia and Peru played out a closely-fought encounter during the group stage, meaning we could see another tight game this time around.
Forebet predicts that Colombia and Peru will produced a goalless draw after 90 minutes, with extra-time and/or penalties required to decide the outcome.