Copa America Preview: Peru - Paraguay

   

Key men Derlis Gonzalez and Roque Santa Cruz will be missing for Paraguay in the Copa America third-place playoff against Peru.

Paraguay will be without attacking duo Roque Santa Cruz and Derlis Gonzalez when it meets Peru in the Copa America third-place playoff.

Ramon Diaz's men are aiming to bounce back from a humbling 6-1 semifinal defeat to Argentina and must do so with a reshaped forward line.

Experienced striker Santa Cruz sustained a hamstring strain and Gonzalez injured his thigh inside the opening half an hour in Concepcion.

Diaz's forward woes do not end there, with Nelson Haedo Valdez nursing a thigh problem, while defender Bruno Valdez is suffering from a similar complaint.

However, San Lorenzo midfielder Nestor Ortigoza is back in contention after a knock ruled him out of the quarterfinal triumph over Brazil and the semifinal loss.

Peru has far fewer injury worries as it aims to replicate its third-place finish of four years ago.

Schalke star Jefferson Farfan missed training on Wednesday due to a sprained right ankle and faces a late fitness test.

Striker Paolo Guerrero netted a hat trick when Peru beat Venezuela 4-1 to finish third in Argentina in 2001 and repeated the feat during the quarterfinal triumph over Bolivia this time around.

Guerrero now has 24 international goals, leaving him only two behind Peru's all-time record scorer Teofilo Cubillas.

Peru coach Ricardo Gareca does not expect Paraguay's chastening experience last time out to have much impact on their performance.

"Paraguay are always dangerous, regardless of their thrashing," he said. "It's going to be complicated game no matter the [injury] absences."

Diaz recognizes that his players must be on their mettle to avoid further disappointment.

"We know that Peru have shown that they are in the process of growing and I'm sure both teams are going to give their best to finish in third place," he said.

Peru vs Paraguay Copa America third-place play-off match: Preview and Prediction

Ricardo Gareca’s lost with 2-1 against Chile in their semi-final last week.After opening Group C with a narrow 2-1 defeat against Brazil, Las Incas proceeded to beat Venezuela 1-0 before holding Colombia to a 1-1 draw, finishing above Los Cafeteros on goal-difference.Gareca’s side then beat Bolivia 3-1 in the quarter-finals before exiting at the hands of the hosts in their second consecutive Copa semi-final.

Peru has impressed everyone with an amazing improvement at the Copa America level that the country has reached three quarter-finals and two semi-finals in the last five tournaments.

Howeber, Paraguay beat Peru six times out of 13 matches, 3 being the draw. One cannot write off odds of 7/4 on a Paraguay win, even despite the emphatic nature of their 6-1 semi-final defeat against Argentina on Tuesday, After all, Ramon Diaz’s side were runners-up in 2011 and dumped Brazil out of the quarter-finals this time round.

Paraguay has more chances of winning the match. But Peru, also has certain fair chances of winning with the awesome improvement they showed in the tournament.

PERU vs PARAGUAY

Paraguay will go into the Copa America third-place play-off against Peru without the services of attackers Roque Santa Cruz and Derlis Gonzalez.

La Albirroja already face the challenge of lifting themselves from a 6-1 thrashing in their semi-final against Argentina and must now do so without two of their most potent threats.

Both players started the last-four clash but by half-an-hour the score was already 2-0 and the pair had been taken off injured.

Veteran striker Santa Cruz, 33, was first to go after suffering a hamstring problem and just three minutes later he was joined on the sidelines by fellow forward Gonzalez following an awkward fall.

Coach Ramon Diaz is also waiting on fitness updates from Nelson Haedo Valdez and defender Bruno Valdez (both thigh), as he attempts to add a third placed finish to the 2011 runners-up spot.

Nestor Ortigoza is one source of hope, with the defensive midfielder likely to be back in contention after missing the games against Brazil and Argentina.

Paraguay's injury problems and the fact they were thrashed in their last match suggests Peru will fancy their chances in the third-place play-off, but Los Incas' coach Ricardo Gareca is not expecting it to be easy at all.

He told a press conference: ``Paraguay are always dangerous, regardless of their thrashing.

``It's going to be complicated game no matter the absences.''

Paraguay boss Diaz is also expecting a tough match, telling a press conference: ``We know that Peru have shown that they are in the process of growing and I'm sure both teams are going to give their best to finish in third place.''

Peru are looking to lock down third for the second tournament in a row, having seen off Venezuela 4-1 in the corresponding fixture in La Plata four years ago.

They are also short of full strength, though, with Carlos Zambrano absent following his sending off in a 2-1 to hosts Chile.

Schalke forward Jefferson Farfan reportedly sat out training on Thursday to rest his right ankle, but has not yet been ruled out of contention.

Gareca added: ``We're looking to finish as high as possible, which is third.''

The game takes place at Concepcion's Estadio Municipal, the scene of both's team's losing semi-finals.