Play-off time in Qatar
Two places are still up for grabs at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. One ticket will be played out in Al Rayyan on Monday between teams from Australia and Peru in the intercontinental play-offs. The winner’s advantage is that they can already get used to the conditions in the country of the World Cup host. However, there will also be bitter tears for the loser on Monday.
Australia’s Socceroos have been at the World Cup every time since 2006 in Germany.
Peru in particular is eagerly awaiting kick-off. The government unceremoniously declared Monday a public holiday so that the working population can support their team on TV at noon Peruvian local time. The South Americans are looking to clinch their second World Cup ticket in a row and the general prediction is for a Blanquirroja victory in the Australia v Peru match.
In any case, it will be intense. After all, both teams can only win, but when you are so close to a World Cup participation, it would be quite bitter to come up empty-handed after a long qualifying campaign. We think that fate is more likely to befall the Socceroos and are leaning towards betting on a successful qualification for the South Americans between Australia and Peru.
Australia – Statistics & current form
The tension is palpable. The Australians are one game away from their sixth World Cup appearance, but unlike in recent qualifiers, the Socceroos may no longer have all the quality in their ranks. Many big names have now disappeared from Graham Arnold’s line-up and yet the Down Under eleven certainly has what it takes to prevail on Monday.
Slight rise in form for the Socceroos
The overall trend in form is positive. Indeed, while they went three games without a win at the start of the year to miss their last chance of direct qualification, the Australians have picked up two wins ahead of Monday’s crucial match. However, the success in the test match against Jordan and the win against the United Arab Emirates do not mean that we would now play the odds on a win for the Socceroos in the clash between Australia and Peru.
In the Asian play-offs against the Emirates, where the two third-placed teams from the final group stage met, the Australians had great difficulty establishing themselves as favourites. Jackson Irvine gave the Socceroos the lead shortly after the break, but the Arabs came back to equalise. It wasn’t until five minutes from time that it was Ajdin Hrustic who put his side into the intercontinental play-offs with the 2-1 winner.
Now that Graham Arnold’s team has had a week to acclimatise in Qatar, they should be used to the climate and their batteries should also be recharged by now. However, the absence of Tom Rogic in particular could be a problem for the Socceroos. In addition, Harry Souttar and Andrew Nabbout are not in the squad due to injury.
Australia’s likely line-up:
Ryan – Behich, Rowles, Wright, Atkinson – Mooy, Goodwin, Irvine, Boyle – Leckie, Hrustic – Coach: Arnold
Last matches played by Australia:
World Cup Qualifiers. Play-off matches
14/06/2022 – Australia (5)0 – 0(4) Peru
World Cup Qualification AFC 4th Round
08/06/2022 – United Arab Emirates 1 – 2 Australia
Friendly match
02/06/2022 – Australia 2 – 1 Jordan
World Cup – AFC Qualification – 3rd Round – Group B
30/03/2022 – Saudi Arabia 1 – 0 Australia
24/03/2022 – Australia 0 – 2 Japan
Peru – Statistics & current form
The Blanquirroja of Peru is a team that stands for continuity. Coach Ricardo Gareca has been in charge of the national team since 2015 and since then he has also trusted the same personnel framework. This means that the Peruvians have a very experienced team and, after their participation in the 2018 World Cup, they also have the self-confidence to qualify for the title matches again.
Good results ahead of playoffs
In the South American qualifiers, it was enough to finish fifth. This already secured their participation in the playoffs. The Peruvians’ form is quite promising, with only one defeat in their last nine international matches. Therefore, at least before the duel between Australia and Peru, we would not make any predictions that the South Americans will fail.
Ahead of the crucial match against the Socceroos, the Peruvians have chosen the All Whites from New Zealand as a test match opponent to simulate the way the Australians play. Gianluca Lapadula’s goal twenty minutes from time gave the South Americans a 1-0 win and should set them up for Monday’s big match.
Two big names are currently missing from the Blanquirroja squad. Paulo Guerrero, currently without a club, has not ended his career yet and would try to make the World Cup squad after all in case of a successful qualification. The same goes for Jefferson Farfan, who has fallen short of expectations with Allianza Lima, but for whom the World Cup train has certainly not yet sailed.
Predicted line-up of Peru:
Gallese – Lopez, Callens, Zambrano, Corzo – Aquino, Pena, Yotun – Cueva, Carillo, Lapadula – Coach: Gareca
Last matches played by Peru:
World Cup Qualification. Play-off matches
14/06/2022 – Australia (5)0 – 0(4) Peru
Friendly match
05/06/2022 – Peru 1 – 0 New Zealand
World Cup – CONMEBOL qualifier
30/03/2022 – Peru 2 – 0 Paraguay
25/03/2022 – Uruguay 1 – 0 Peru
02/02/2022 – Peru 1 – 1 Ecuador
Australia – Peru Direct comparison / H2H balance
At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the teams from Australia and Peru still faced each other in the group stage. That will not be the case in Qatar in 2022, as only one team will travel to the World Cup again, with the other team taking on the role of the sad spectator. The duel four years ago was also the only meeting between these two teams to date.
In Sochi, the Peruvians won 2-0 with goals from Andre Carillo and Paolo Guerrero. In the end, both teams were eliminated in the preliminary round behind France and Denmark. This brings us to the World Cup in Qatar, where the French and Danes will also be the group opponents. Tunisia, however, will replace the loser of these intercontinental play-offs.
Australia – Peru Tip
There can only be one: Australia or Peru. Who will return to Qatar for the World Cup in November? The Socceroos failed to live up to their fans’ hopes in the Asian qualifiers, where they fell short of expectations. However, with wins over Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, they will go into Monday’s match with their confidence boosted.
The Peruvians, however, cannot complain about a too small chest either. After all, Ricardo Gareca’s team has lost only once in its last nine matches.
The only meeting between the two opponents took place four years ago at the World Cup in Russia. At that time, the Peruvians won 2-0 and we can imagine that it will be similar on Monday. In any case, we have decided to play the betting odds on a Blanquirroja win in the intercontinental play-offs between Australia and Peru.
