Peru take on the visitors Brazil in the round 2 match of FIFA World Cup – 2026 qualification. The match will be played on Wednesday, September 13th at Estadio Nacional de Lima (Lima).
Peru commands respect. For a long time, the 'Incas' were, if not the underdogs, then relatively weak middle-of-the-road teams in the regional football context. For decades, since 1982, they struggled to qualify for World Cups despite having a relatively generous number of available 'tickets.' However, a promising generation led by Farfán and Guerrero rewrote history. In 2018, the team made it to the World Cup, leaving a decent impression even though they only reached the group stage. Furthermore, in the next qualification cycle, they managed to accumulate a respectable 24 points, surpassing Colombia (by 1 point) and Chile to finish fifth again. This secured them a spot in the intercontinental playoffs, but luck was not on their side. It all came down to a single away match in Australia, and after a 0-0 draw in regular and extra time, 'Socceroos' won on penalties. So now, they have to start over. The first match ended in a goalless draw against Paraguay, which can be considered a decent result, especially considering they had to defend with ten men for the entire second half after Advíncula's red card.
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Brazil are handling the circumstances with ease. The 'Pentacampeões' probably didn't approach this qualification in a great mood. They had a disappointing quarterfinal exit in December, which has become a real stumbling block for the favorites after winning the recent title. They managed to get higher only once before, at home in 2014, but it ended in humiliation in the semifinals against the Germans. Tite was forgiven for the failure four years later, losing to the Belgians, but he was eventually sacked after losing to Croatia on penalties in Qatar. The prolonged search for a successor led to an unconventional decision: they convinced Ancelotti to come from Europe, but with a significant caveat – it would only happen a year later. In the meantime, the 'acting' coach became Fernando Diniz, who also works with 'Fluminense.' He is the one making decisions right now, including the staff's decision to exclude Antoni from the squad after announcing it – he seemed to have taken over Greenwood's role in terms of legal scandals at Manchester United. However, in the qualifiers, the Brazilians should cope without this young talent and even without Carlo. At least they started with a convincing victory, winning 5-1 (with braces from Rodrigo and Neymar). Granted, the opponent was weak, Bolivia, a historical underdog in South American football.
Peru managed to win a friendly match in 2019. However, in all other 7 recent encounters, including the last 4, victories went to the favorites. The hosts seem decent, but the guests are significantly stronger, so we will place a bet on the victory of the 'Pentacampeões' with a '-1.0 goal handicap.'
Prediction for the match: Brazil to win with -1.0 handicap.
