Australia and Peru are one step away from qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2022 as they face off tonight at Al Rayyan, Qatar. This Intercontinental World Cup qualifying playoff match will decide who will play in the World Cup in November. Here we take a closer look at Australia vs Peru, predict the lineup, and who will win.
Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Ecuador grabbed four direct spots in the World Cup 2022 from the CONMEBOL region. Peru finished 5th, ahead of Chile, Colombia, and Paraguay, who couldn’t qualify, to have a chance of qualifying through this playoff match. On the other hand, Australia finished 3rd in one of the final rounds in the AFC. They beat UAE, another 3rd place finisher from the same region, by 2-1 goals on June 7 to set this fixture against Peru.
🏆 Competition: World Cup Qualifier Intercontinental Playoff
⚽ Fixture: Australia (AFC) vs Peru (CONMEBOL)
🗓 Date: Monday, 13 June 2022
🕡 Time: 6:00 pm GMT, 2:00 pm ET, 7:00 pm BST, 4:00 am AEST on June 14.
🏟 Venue: Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar
📺 TV: Channel 10, TSN, FS1
💻 Stream: fuboTV
¡Por los millones de peruanos que siempre creyeron! ✨
Nuestra 'blanquirroja' va por la clasificación al Mundial Qatar 2022.
🗓 Repechaje intercontinental@Socceroos 🇦🇺 🆚 @SeleccionPeru 🇵🇪 #UnidosSomosMásFuertes#ArribaPerú 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/o0tUj67x7R
— La Bicolor (@SeleccionPeru) June 13, 2022
Australia’s Probable Lineup
There are no reported injury concerns for Australia. Graham James Arnold may field a similar side that beat UAE by 2-1 goals on June 6.
The only change could be Nathaniel Atkinson, who struggled at the right-back position against UAE. Fran Karacic could replace him.
Irvine and Hrustic, who scored a goal each against UAE, should play the attacking role in midfield. Craig Goodwin could make way for Jamie Maclaren in the attack, the top scorer of the A-League this season.
Australia Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ryan; Karacic, Wright, Rowles, Behich; Mooy, Boyle; Hrustic, Irvine, Leckie; Maclaren
Peru’s Probable Lineup
Though there are some fitness issues for the Peruvians, we don’t expect major changes from the side that beat New Zealand 1-0 in a friendly on June 5.
Key midfielder Yotun and left-back Marcos Lopez were trained separately from the squad. They are doubtful to start against Australia. You should come in the 2nd half.
Luis Advincula may get the nod to start over the right-back, Aldo Corzo. Lapadula Vargas may lead the attack from the front in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Peru Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Gallese; Advincula, Zambrano, Callens, Miguel Trauco; Aquino, Carrillo; Pena Flores, Cueva, Gabriel Costa; Lapadula Vargas
Australia vs. Peru Prediction
Australia and Peru will go all guns blazing to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2022. It will be a sweating battle as both sides will give everything they have.
The Peruvians will aim for their 6th World Cup appearance of all time. On the other hand, the Socceroos will fire all cylinders to reach their 5th straight World Cup.
The Peruvians are the better side on paper and will be the favorites to win this game. Both sides won their last match in June. Australia beat UAE by 2-1 goals, and Peru got their win over New Zealand by 1-0 goals.
Australia met Peru once before, and that was in the World Cup 2018 group stage. The South American side got the better of the Aussies by 2-0 goals. Peru finished 3rd in the group behind Denmark and France, with Australia finishing at the bottom. Interestingly, the winner of the match tonight will join France and Denmark in Group D in the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Our pick is Peru to secure a narrow win to grab a spot in Qatar. Australia 0-1 Peru.
Which group will Peru vs. Australia winner play in at the 2022 World Cup?
The winner of Peru vs Australia will join France, Denmark, and Tunisia in Group D. Hence, the qualified team tonight will get two similar foes from the 2018 World Cup group stage. France, Denmark, Peru, and Australia played in the same group in the previous World Cup in Russia.
That’s all about Australia vs Peru. Let us know your prediction in the comments below.
