Paraguay and will face off in the first round of CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying at the Antonio Aranda Stadium this Thursday night. Although both teams appeared in the World Cup finals in the 2010s, they failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar. As a result, they are both hoping that they can improve significantly by 2026.
Since Guillermo Barros Schelotto took over as head coach in October 2021, his performances in Paraguay have been disappointing. After suffering a 4-0 defeat at Bolivia, Schelotto was named as Eduardo Berizzo's successor, but Paraguay failed to score in five of their next six World Cup qualifiers, acquiring just four points.
After the qualifiers, Paraguay played nine friendlies with mixed results. Their 1-0 victories against the United Arab Emirates and Mexico have been the only bright spots, but they have also been thrashed 4-1 by Japan and have lost against Chile, and soon Peru.
However, Paraguay's two international matches in September provide them with a good opportunity to do so, as they first face Peru at home before traveling to Venezuela, currently the weakest team in South America.
If they want to find the right path early in the new qualifiers, they aim to get four points. In a disappointing 2022 qualifying campaign, they managed just 16 points, scored 12 goals and finished just third from bottom with 18 games to play.
Peru, on the other hand, won their final game against Paraguay, putting them into the intercontinental playoffs. The three points put them one point ahead of Colombia, but they were beaten on penalties by Australia in the play-offs.
Although they have been one of the best performing South American teams over the last decade, their failure to reach the Qatar finals came as a surprise. Their performances in suggest that they should have had more chances to reach the World Cup in the last 12 years. They reached the semifinals in 2011 and 2015, the final in 2019 and the bronze medal in 2021.
Looking at the team, Schelotto made seven changes to the lineup to face Nicaragua. Julio Enciso is still out with an injury and his place will be taken by attacker Dellys Gonzalez.
Without Enciso, Miguel Almiron will have a heavier responsibility, having played consistently every week for the Newcastle side he is currently in.
On the other hand, Peru's veteran keeper Pedro Galese could get his 98th and 99th appearances for his country this week. Their captain, Paulo Guerrero, is still in the team and if he plays in this game, it will be his 110th appearance.
From the above match preview, Peru have the advantage over Paraguay in terms of record, team form and history. Even though this is an away match, Peru are stronger on paper. As a result, Peru could beat Paraguay 1-0 in this match.
