Peru will be boosted by the presence of their all-time top goal-scorer Paolo Guerrero in Russia after his 14-month drug ban was lifted this week.
The striker was a hugely influential figure as La Blanquirroja qualified for their first World Cup in 36 years and is one of several players with good potential for Fantasy returns in Group C.
We’ve got the lowdown on one of the tournament’s possible surprise packages.
READ MORE: Russia and Japan falter in World Cup Fantasy auditions
ROAD TO QUALIFICATION
On paper, this is the greatest Peruvian side to ever travel to a World Cup. Their 2-0 friendly win over Scotland on Tuesday stretched their current unbeaten run to 13 matches, which is now the longest in the country’s history. Accordingly, there is a real sense of optimism that manager Ricardo Gareca can guide Peru out of Group C.
However, their 2018 qualification campaign endured the most inauspicious of starts. In their first seven matches they picked up just four points, ending that run with a 2-0 defeat in Bolivia. Luck turned for Gareca’s side when it was revealed their opponents in that match had fielded an ineligible player and Peru were awarded a 3-0 victory. In the end, were it not for that turnaround, Peru would not have qualified and Chile would have likely taken their place in Group C.
That’s not to say the Peruvians earned a place in Russia’s finals on that technicality alone, though. In the summer of 2016 they topped Group B at the Copa America Centenario by beating Brazil and, after losing to Colombia on penalties in the quarter-finals, they were able to take a winning momentum back into their qualifying campaign.
Between the eighth and final round of the South American round-robin Peru lost just two matches (to Chile and Brazil), defeated Uruguay and twice held Argentina to important draws. A 1-1 stalemate in the last fixture against Colombia saw them beat Chile to the intercontinental play-offs on goal difference. New Zealand were dispatched 2-0 on aggregate thereafter.
The only issue that had threatened to jeopardise Peru’s World Cup chances was the ongoing saga with star striker Guerrero, which has now been resolved. The Flamengo striker tested positive for cocaine and metabolite benzoylecgonine in October and was banned from football for 12 months. In May the Court of Arbitration for Sport extended his ban to 14 months, ruling him out of the World Cup. But on Thursday a Swiss tribunal allowed Guerrero to participate in Russia.
A more disciplined outfit than in the past, Gareca has Peru playing an organised passing style which has impressed all who have watched them in the last year. Their possession-based displays in March friendly wins over Croatia and Iceland had former player Teofilo Cubillas, who appeared at three World Cups with the national team, likening Peru to Barcelona.
A 3-0 win was recorded against Saudi Arabia earlier this month.
CONMEBOL QUALIFYING + PLAY-OFFS
Most starts: Christian Cueva (18), Pedro Gallese and Paolo Guerrero (16), Renato Tapia (15), Christian Ramos, Alberto Rodriguez, Miguel Trauco, Yoshimar Yotun (all 13).
Most goals: Edison Flores, Guerrero (both 5), Cueva, Jefferson Farfan (all 4).
Most assists: Cueva, Yotun (both 4), Guerrero (3), Raul Ruidaz (2).
READ MORE: Australia’s new key targets as Tim Cahill travels to Russia as squad player
THE KEY TARGETS
Lokomotiv Moscow forward Jefferson Farfan (£7.0m on McDonald’s FIFA World Cup Fantasy), formerly of PSV Eindhoven, is both the most recognisable name in Peru’s World Cup squad and the best source of Fantasy investment. Despite making just eight starts in qualifying, the 33-year-old scored four goals and assisted another in sending Peru to the World Cup. Since that campaign ended Farfan has started all three international friendlies scoring twice more and assisting Raul Ruidiaz in a 3-1 win against Iceland. He has very much returned to the forefront of Peruvian football after an absence in 2015/16.
Paolo Guerrero’s (£7.5m) importance to the national team is just as talismanic as Farfan’s. He is the all-time top scorer for Peru with 32 goals in 86 international appearances; five of those were recorded in qualifying and another at the most recent Copa America. Winger Edison Flores (£6.5m) matched that goal output but Guerrero also contributed three assists, showing his appeal as an asset capable of scoring Fantasy points from multiple avenues. Despite not representing the national side since October
Guerrero was matched in his goal involvement during qualifying (eight) by penalty-taking attacking midfielder Christian Cueva (£6.0m). The Sao Paulo playmaker scored four of his own and assisted four more as Peru’s designated corner-taker. His place in the side was well-assured during that two-year spell with none of his compatriots starting more matches either, featuring from the beginning in 18 of the 20 qualifying fixtures. However, one fact to be aware of is that Gareca could opt to sacrifice Cueva for extra defensive midfield cover in the second game against France. The 60-year-old coach tweaked his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation to a 4-3-2-1 at Cueva’s expense when Peru hosted Argentina in October, successfully holding the star-studded side to a 0-0 draw.
READ MORE: The FPL heroes past and present set to impress on World Cup Fantasy for Spain
THE LONG SHOTS
The Fantasy long shots among Peru’s ranks come exclusively from their defence where there are some creative players with an outside chance at clean sheets in Russia. Now that Gareca has instilled organisation into their back-line, La Blanquirroja have recorded six shut-outs in their last 11 international matches including a memorable one against Argentina.
The versatile Yoshimar Yotun (£5.5m on McDonald’s FIFA World Cup Fantasy) is the leading candidate for Peruvian clean sheet potential considering he is classified as a defender on Fantasy iTeam despite operating in the midfield either as a central player or a left-winger. The Orlando City man recorded four assists in South America’s round robin (joint-top for Peru) before adding another in the friendly win over Scotland in May.
Occupying an crucial role on Peru’s left flank is full-back Miguel Trauco (£5.0m) who has three assists in his last 14 starts for his country. The Flamengo defender’s pace makes him an important outlet for the team and his impressive displays saw him named the best player in Peru in 2016.
Pedro Gallese (£4.5m) is the established figure in goal for Peru and is widely seen as one of the nation’s best ever custodians. A knee operation ruled the 28-year-old out of recent friendlies but he should reclaim the number one jersey for June 16’s opener against Denmark.
UPCOMING FRIENDLIES
June 9: Sweden v Peru (Stockholm)
Further Analysis
Our comprehensive World Cup guide can be found here.
Group A – Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group B – Iran, Morocco, Portugal, Spain
Group C – Australia, Peru, France, Denmark
Group D – Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria
Group E – Brazil, Costa Rica, Switzerland, Serbia
Group F – Mexico, Germany, Sweden, South Korea
Group G – Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England
Group H – Senegal, Japan, Poland, Colombia
Our editor’s Fantasy World Cup tips as told to Proper Sport
FANTASY ITEAM
Fantasy Football Scout is supporting Fantasy iTeam, a free World Cup game available on a number of mobile devices, including iPhone, iPad, iPodTouch and Android. We have an official Fantasy Football Scout League open to UK users only, with a £1000 of Amazon vouchers to give out, split between the top three performers. There’s also the small matter of £10k worth of prizes available in the main competitions: Overall World Championship and Manager of the Gameround.
Click here for details and here to sign up.
Our League name is Fantasy Football Scout and the pin is 1887.
Please note, users must be over 18 and based in the UK to join our league.
6 years, 7 months agoIs it just me or is the FIFA fantasy game still not up and running?