Peruvian National Team
Injuries and Suspensions in the Past
One of the great curses of the Peruvian national team has been injuries or suspensions, which always left the team without many alternatives for the matches. In the previous Copa America, where Peru finished third, Sergio Markarian couldn't count on Farfan and Pizarro, two of its great figures. Carlos Zambrano, the most important defender, was also absent. In the recent qualifiers, the situation was similar: in many important matches, the coach had to improvise to cover the gaps generated by the absences.
Full Squad for a Crucial Match
This time, the situation is different: the Peruvian national team arrives with the entire squad available to play a crucial match. It's not every day that a semifinal is played, especially against Chile, the lifelong rival. Ballon and Lobaton served their suspension against Bolivia -the team missed them a lot- and will be able to play tonight. Farfan seems to be fully recovered from his foot allergy problems, while the only player who may not be at 100% is Claudio Pizarro, the team captain. The veteran player from Bayern Munich came out with some discomfort in the match against Bolivia and Gareca stated that he will only be able to confirm the condition of the forward today.
Possible Lineup
If Pizarro is fit, the most likely thing is that he will accompany Paolo Guerrero, who scored a hat-trick against Bolivia, in the attack. In this way, Farfan would return to the right wing and Christian Cueva -the pleasant surprise of the Peruvian national team- would occupy the left wing. If the captain does not recover, Joel Sanchez will replace him, and the "Foquita" will play as a second striker behind Guerrero. Ballon and Lobaton will be in the center of the field. The defense, unless there is a last-minute surprise, will be the one that has played all the matches: Advincula and Vargas on the wings, and Ascues and Zambrano in the center. The goal belongs to Pedro Gallese, one of Gareca's team revelations.
Check the schedule of matches day by day on AS, as well as all the results of the matches (both in the group stage and the final phase), and the latest news, the best photo galleries, and the videos (goals, match summaries, technical details, great plays, Menotti's analysis...) of the Copa America 2015.