Peru kickoff their World Cup campaign on June 16 against Denmark. It won't be easy for the South Americans as the favoured Danes will be a difficult team to breakdown. Things won't get any easier for Peru as they face France and Australia in their final Group C matches.
Managed by Ricardo Gareca, Peru have just five squad members playing their football outside of the Americas. Group C should be won by France and the other three teams will be vying for second place in the group. The Peruvians must get points against Demark and Australia, if they hope to make the round of 16.
Peru have only been to four World Cup tournaments previously. This year's event will be the first since 1982. Peru secured the very last World Cup 2018 spot with an inter-confederation playoff win over New Zealand. Captain Paolo Guerrero makes the national side tick. In 87 international matches, Guerrero has tallied 34 goals. Guerrero is the national team's all-time goals scorer and his presence will be a huge boast for the team. The Striker was expected to miss the tournament due to a doping ban. However, FIFA has lifted the ban and Guerrero will now play.
Guerrero will be joined in attack by 33-year-old Jefferson Farfan. Once a rising player for PSV Eindhoven and Schalke, Farfan now plays his club football in Russia with Lokomotiv Moscow. The forward has been capped 83 times.
Peru's buildup to the tournament has been good. The side defeated Scotland and Saudi Arabia in their most recent friendlies. Gareca's team will play one more friendly against Sweden before starting their campaign in Russia. Peru's 3-0 win over Saudi Arabia was especially impressive as Guerrero scored twice.
Gareca has been in charge of Peru since 2015. He knows his players inside and out. The Argentine's ability to lead Peru to the World Cup for the first time in nearly 40 years should prove his quality as a manager. Gareca's team favour a short passing style that sees them keep the ball for long periods. Keeping possession against France will be difficult, but against Denmark and Australia, the Peruvians should be able to hold on to the ball for large parts of the game.
Peru's biggest weakness is a lack of high-level experience. Although Guerrero and Farfan have played all over the world and scored a large number of goals, the rest of the squad isn't quite as proven. If Peru struggle it will be down to the team's lack of experience in key areas.