Match Previews
World Cup 2018
Round Group C
Peru
Last updated: Sat 16 June 2018 10:46Peru held by Sweden last time out. Undefeated since 2016. Guerrero will lead the line. Rodriguez expected to be fit.
Peru go into the World Cup off the back of a scoreless draw against Sweden. It was a competitive encounter away from home and there were few chances, so the outcome of the game was a logical one.
It was the first time that Peru had failed to win any of their World Cup warm-up matches. Since qualifying, they had picked up four victories in succession, including wins over Croatia and Iceland, which bode well ahead of Russia 2018.
Remarkably, Peru have not lost a match of any genre since November 2016, when they suffered a World Cup qualifying loss at home against Brazil. Since then, they have played 15 matches, winning 11 of those.
They have kept seven cleansheets in their last nine matches.
Paolo Guerrero returned to the squad last week after a drug ban was suspended. The striker is a key figure for the team and marked his return with a goal in a 3-0 win over Saudi Arabia. He picked up a knock against the Swedes but was able to play on and will be fine to feature against Denmark.
Surprisingly, Guerrero was not in the training team for the starting XI, suggesting that he will be on the bench, with Jefferson Farfan leading the line instead.
Alberto Rodriguez seemed to be suffering some discomfort as he came off against Sweden and should be considered a minor doubt for the opener.
Edison Flores will fight for an attacking role in the side. Although Flores has only one goal in his last eight, he is expected to come back into the side.
The last European side to beat Peru was Switzerland in June 2014.
Denmark
Last updated: Sat 16 June 2018 10:46Denmark are set to participate in their first World Cup since 2010. Bendtner didn't make the squad due to a minor injury. 2-0 win over Mexico gave the Danish side a confidence boost on Saturday.
Denmark failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, but they will be back for this one as they managed to defeat Ireland in a nail-biting play-off game back in November. The 0-0 draw at home put the Danish side in a tough spot, but a well-deserved 1-5 win in Dublin sealed the deal.
Denmark faced Sweden and Mexico at the start of this month to prepare for the upcoming World Cup. Sweden and Denmark both failed to score, but Age Hareide's men did seal the win against Mexico: 2-0. Yussuf Poulsen and Christian Eriksen put the 2-0 final score on the board after the break.
Nicklas Bendtner's injury dominated the news for weeks. Possibly the best Danish striker picked up a minor injury in a game with Rosenborg and Hareide ultimately decided to prevent any risks. Bendtner didn't get included in the squad, which was actually a bit surprising.
Harreide isn't expected to start the World Cup with a surprising line-up. Andreas Cornelius will be motivated as well to make an appearance, but a start on the bench seems more likely at this point. The Atalanta Bergamo winger struggled with a minor injury recently and he failed to claim starting spots in the Serie A in the last matches.
The lack of a pure goalscorer could become a problem during the tournament. Bendtner didn't join the squad as mentioned before, while Feyenoord striker Nicolai Jorgensen didn't show his best form this season as he only bagged ten goals in the Dutch Eredivisie.
Kasper Dolberg, one of the biggest talents of Danish football, didn't impress the Ajax fans this year, which resulted in only eleven Eredivisie starts. The potential is there, but he will have to convince Hareide first to make minutes. Dolberg is set to start on the bench against Peru.
The qualities at the back could become a crucial factor for the Danish side. Denmark managed to keep four clean sheets in succession and the qualifying campaign showed their class at the back as well as Hareide's men only conceded eight goals in ten matches.
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4-2-3-1 Previous Line Ups
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| P. Gallese | |||
| L. Advincula | |||
| A. Rodriguez | |||
| C. Ramos | |||
| M. Trauco | |||
| Y. Yotun | |||
| R. Tapia | |||
| A. Carrillo | |||
| C. Cueva | |||
| E. Flores | |||
| J. Farfan |
4-2-3-1 Previous Line Ups
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| K. Schmeichel | |||
| H. Dalsgaard | |||
| S. Kjaer | |||
| A. Christensen | |||
| J. Larsen | |||
| W. Kvist | |||
| T. Delaney | |||
| Y. Poulsen | |||
| C. Eriksen | |||
| P. Sisto | |||
| N. Jorgensen |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. Caceda | |||
| J. Carvallo | |||
| A. Santamaria | |||
| A. Corzo | |||
| M. Araujo | |||
| N. Loyola | |||
| P. Hurtado | |||
| A. Polo | |||
| P. Aquino | |||
| W. Cartagena | |||
| P. Guerrero | |||
| R. Ruidiaz |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| P. Gallese | |||
| L. Advincula | |||
| A. Rodriguez | |||
| C. Ramos | |||
| M. Trauco | |||
| Y. Yotun | |||
| R. Tapia | |||
| A. Carrillo | |||
| C. Cueva | |||
| E. Flores | |||
| J. Farfan |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. Caceda | |||
| J. Carvallo | |||
| A. Santamaria | |||
| A. Corzo | |||
| M. Araujo | |||
| N. Loyola | |||
| P. Hurtado | |||
| A. Polo | |||
| P. Aquino | |||
| W. Cartagena | |||
| P. Guerrero | |||
| R. Ruidiaz |
Denmark
Last updated: Sat 16 June 2018 10:46Denmark are set to participate in their first World Cup since 2010. Bendtner didn't make the squad due to a minor injury. 2-0 win over Mexico gave the Danish side a confidence boost on Saturday.
Denmark failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, but they will be back for this one as they managed to defeat Ireland in a nail-biting play-off game back in November. The 0-0 draw at home put the Danish side in a tough spot, but a well-deserved 1-5 win in Dublin sealed the deal.
Denmark faced Sweden and Mexico at the start of this month to prepare for the upcoming World Cup. Sweden and Denmark both failed to score, but Age Hareide's men did seal the win against Mexico: 2-0. Yussuf Poulsen and Christian Eriksen put the 2-0 final score on the board after the break.
Nicklas Bendtner's injury dominated the news for weeks. Possibly the best Danish striker picked up a minor injury in a game with Rosenborg and Hareide ultimately decided to prevent any risks. Bendtner didn't get included in the squad, which was actually a bit surprising.
Harreide isn't expected to start the World Cup with a surprising line-up. Andreas Cornelius will be motivated as well to make an appearance, but a start on the bench seems more likely at this point. The Atalanta Bergamo winger struggled with a minor injury recently and he failed to claim starting spots in the Serie A in the last matches.
The lack of a pure goalscorer could become a problem during the tournament. Bendtner didn't join the squad as mentioned before, while Feyenoord striker Nicolai Jorgensen didn't show his best form this season as he only bagged ten goals in the Dutch Eredivisie.
Kasper Dolberg, one of the biggest talents of Danish football, didn't impress the Ajax fans this year, which resulted in only eleven Eredivisie starts. The potential is there, but he will have to convince Hareide first to make minutes. Dolberg is set to start on the bench against Peru.
The qualities at the back could become a crucial factor for the Danish side. Denmark managed to keep four clean sheets in succession and the qualifying campaign showed their class at the back as well as Hareide's men only conceded eight goals in ten matches.
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- ---
- ---
- ---
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| K. Schmeichel | |||
| H. Dalsgaard | |||
| S. Kjaer | |||
| A. Christensen | |||
| J. Larsen | |||
| W. Kvist | |||
| T. Delaney | |||
| Y. Poulsen | |||
| C. Eriksen | |||
| P. Sisto | |||
| N. Jorgensen |