Bolivia vs Peru
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Today’s secondary featured game is the International Friendly between Bolivia and Peru. These two sides locked horns a few days ago in Peru where the scoreline ended 2-2. Now we’re on Bolivian turf and I’m expecting a slightly different scoreline.
La Paz is a daunting city to play in as an away side due to the severe altitude and that’s something Peru are going to have to try and come to terms with today. La Paz is situated at approximately 3600 metres above sea level which makes breathing very hard indeed without a period of adjustment time prior to the game, which Peru haven’t had. Peru have lost their last three visits to Bolivia and given that most of the hosts’ home games are played at high altitude, it’s no coincidence whatsoever that Peru keep losing here.
Quality-wise, Bolivia do have better players than a rather stagnant and unproductive Peru side, in my view. Peru lack a great deal of creativity and rely a lot on their solid defence, a defence which enabled them to progress much further than anyone expected in the last Copa America. Peru do have good strikers in their ranks, however, which is a bit unusual given the average nature of their team! I’m talking about Farfan, Guerrero, and Pizarro, of course. Guerrero is ruled out of this game, however, as he’s still injured, and probably will be until the end of time given the amount of time he’s spent on the sidelines over the past few years. Pizarro is a dangerous finisher but needs service and Farfan is hot-and-cold – he can be untouchable on his day but you’ll more often than not finding him chasing shadows and not having a good enough final ball. Vargas in midfield is a threat for Peru but we’re clutching at straws, really – there’s not enough in this side to concern me. It doesn’t help their cause that Corinthians midfielder Ramirez and Sporting Clube de Lisboa defender Rodriguez were both released prior to the initial game in Peru through injury, both of which are rather important players, in my opinion.
Therefore, it’s advantage Bolivia for me. Peru were always chasing the game against Bolivia and needed a late penalty to claim the 2-2 draw. On their own turf, you have to fancy Bolivia to do the job properly this time around. They’ve got a couple of regulars absent with Hoyos and Arias out of the squad but their most notable absentee is left-winger Campos, who brings a lot of pace and width to their game so they’ll miss him tonight. However, it’s expected that Vaca will shake off his knock and that’s important as he’s a continuous asset to this Bolivian side in midfield. They’ve got Saucedo from Vitoria Guimaraes and experienced duo Flores and Robles in midfield to call upon if needed, however. Up front, Arca and Moreno are always a threat and youngster Pena is pushing for a deserved place in the starting line-up so there’s no problems there. As ever, I find fault with Bolivia’s defence, however – barring Raldes and Alvarez, it’s too unstable and makes too many mistakes, as do their goalkeepers. However, their attack is strong enough to win this game for the hosts and that’s what I’m banking on here.
Peru are traditionally a very defensive side so I’m not going to read too much into Bolivia’s defensive frailties. However, what I would read a lot into is the attacking power of the hosts and the altitude that this game is played at. With that in mind, I think that Bolivia will outscore Peru here either way and at 11/10, I feel it’s worth a shot today.
Team news – Bolivia miss Campos, Hoyos, and Arias whilst having doubts over Vaca whereas Peru miss Ramirez, Rodriguez, de la Haza, Rengifo, and Guerrero.
Verdict: Bolivia to win at 11/10.
Monday’s Picks
Accumulator fodder:
Brazil, Spain U21, England U21.
Recommended bets:
Bolivia, Spain U21, and England U21 at around 7/5.
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts to prevent endless questions about my thoughts on certain games!
International Friendlies:
Brazil vs Ghana (8) 2-0 (played in England)
Bolivia vs Peru (7) 1-0
UEFA European U21 Championship Qualifiers:
Sweden vs Lithuania (7) 2-0
Switzerland vs Croatia (6) 0-0
Scotland vs Bulgaria (7) 1-0
Spain vs Georgia (8) -1.5 handicap
International U21 Friendlies:
England vs Israel (8) 2-0
Portugal vs France (5) 1-2
Swedish Superettan:
Landskrona BoIS vs Jonkopings Sodra (5) over 2.5 goals
Osters vs Falkenberg (6)
Brage vs Qviding Goteborg (7)
Enjoy your free betting tips!