Brazil v. Peru Preview

Brazil v. Peru

April 1st, 9:10 P.M. Eastern Time (after the Brazilian soaps are over)
Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Estadio Beira-Río

The last time these two nations played was in November ‘07, with a 1-1 draw the result. Since then, Peru has been dealing with a host of on and off the pitch issues that have contributed to their standing at the bottom of the table. Peru was suspended by FIFA due to political interference in the nation’s football association. This suspension was lifted in December, only after the country was stripped of hosting the South American Sub 20.

The other off the pitch issues deal with Peru’s best player Claudio Pizarro, who plays for Chelsea, but is on loan currently at Werder Bremen. He is currently facing a two year ban for acting as an agent while being an active player. Due to these distractions he was not called by Peruvian manager. Peru is also without striker Paolo Guerrero after he was banned for six internationals after a sending-off against Uruguay last year. These events have made a thin squad even thinner heading into this match. They lost their match against Chile on 3-1 Sunday night. Peru is 1-5-4 (0-0-5 road) in qualifying, with its only win coming against Venezuela last September.

Peru is led by captain, and former Newcastle midfielder Nolberto Solano. Solano at the age of 34 is still a productive player for his nation. Juan Vargas is another player of note, a defender/winger who plays for Fiorentina. Outside of Solano and Vargas there is not a lot to rave about for this proud footballing nation.

This game has the potential to be a real blowout for Brazil, and should be a perfect opportunity for Dunga to toy with his lineup. However, many thought the same thing when Brazil played Bolivia to a 0-0 draw last September in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil has not scored at home in their last three qualifiers but this will likely change on Wednesday night. Kaka should be ready for this game after not making the trip to Quito. Coming off Sunday’s performance in Quito, the fans in Porto Alegre will have the “Goodbye, Dunga” chants ready should the team get off to a slow start against the Peruvians.

Brazil

Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Doni (AS Roma)

Defenders: Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Maicon (Inter Milan), Lucio (Bayern Munich), Miranda (Sao Paulo), Thiago Silva (AC Milan), Luisao (Benfica), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Kleber (Internacional)

Midfielders: Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos), Josue (VfL Wolfsburg), Anderson (Manchester United), Felipe Melo (Fiorentina), Elano (Manchester City), Julio Baptista (AS Roma), Kaka (AC Milan),

Forwards: Ronaldinho (AC Milan), Alexandre Pato (AC Milan), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Adriano (Inter Milan), Robinho (Manchester City)

Projected XI:

Goal: Julio Cesar
Defense: Marcelo, Lucio, Luisao, Dani Alves
Midfield: Elano, Gilberto Silva, Felipe Melo, Kaka
Forwards: Robinho, Luis Fabiano

Peru

Goalkeepers: Leao Butron (Deportivo San Martin), Raul Fernandez (Universitario)

Defenders: Carlos Zambrano (Schalke 04), Walter Vilchez (Puebla), Juan Vargas (Fiorentina), Alberto Rodriguez (Braga), Aldo Corzo (Alianza Lima), Amilton Prado (Sporting Cristal), Cristian Ramos (Deportivo San Martin), Orlando Contreras (Alianza Lima)

Midfielders: Daniel Chavez (Bruges), Paolo de la Haza (Alianza Lima), Nolberto Solano (Universitario), Rainer Torres (Universitario), Miguel Torres (Universitario), Carlos Fernandez (Deportivo San Martin), Pedro Garcia (Deportivo San Martin), Alexander Sanchez (Alianza Lima), Luis Trujillo (Alianza Lima)

Forwards: Luis Ramriez (Libertad), Johan Fano (Once Caldas), Hernan Rengifo (Lech Poznan)

Prediction: Brazil 4-0