Peru vs Chile

Peru and Chile will exchange tackles in a crunch CONEMBOL World Cup qualifying fixture at the Estadio Nacional.

A dismal 2-0 away defeat to Brazil last time out halted Peru’s three-game winless World Cup qualifying streak (W2, D1), as they face the risk of being cast aside as a qualification contender with another defeat here. Sitting five points adrift of fifth-placed Colombia ahead of the kick-off, the Peruvians face an uphill task of booking a place in their second straight World Cup finals. Despite beating Venezuela 1-0 in their most recent World Cup qualifying fixture at home, Peru’s home form in the ongoing qualification campaign is far from encouraging (W1, D1, L3). What’s more, ‘La Blanquirroja’ have netted a miserly average of just 0.8 goals per game at home in this World Cup qualifying cycle, failing to score more than once in the last four in a row.

On the other hand, Chile’s underwhelming six-match winless World Cup qualifying streak (D3, L3) has cast doubt on their hopes of qualifying for their first showpiece since 2014. Going into this matchday, the Chileans trail fifth-placed Colombia by a staggering seven points, meaning they can ill-afford to miss out on a win here. That could be easier said than done, though, especially considering Chile’s lackluster attacking showings of late. Indeed, ‘La Roja’ had drawn a blank in five competitive outings on the trot before succumbing to a dreadful 3-1 away defeat to Colombia last time out. The visitors can at least find some comfort in their recent fortunes on Peruvian soil, having won two of their last three World Cup qualifying visits to the country (L1), netting 3+ goals in both of those triumphs.