Peru vs New Zealand

RCDE Stadium in Spain is the venue as Peru and New Zealand go head-to-head in an exciting international friendly.

Peru’s first international fixture since advancing to the inter-confederation World Cup play-offs, courtesy of a 2-0 home win over Paraguay on the last South American qualifying day, pits them against New Zealand. Curiously, they dispatched New Zealand 2-0 on aggregate in their most recent appearance in the inter-confederation World Cup play-offs in 2017. ‘La Blanquirroja’ take a trip to Catalonia in a confident mood despite their indifferent three-game form (W1, D1, L1). But connoisseurs of action-packed football may want to skip this fixture, as five of Peru’s six previous internationals have featured under 2.5 goals, including the last four in a row. Staying tight at the back will be essential for the Peruvians, as their three victories in 2022 have all been followed by a clean sheet.

As for New Zealand, a scintillating 5-0 romping of fellow Oceanian rivals Solomon Islands in their World Cup qualifying play-off final booked them a place in the inter-confederation play-offs. A substantial gulf in quality between New Zealand and other Oceanian nations saw the ‘All Whites’ win all five third-stage qualifying fixtures by an aggregate scoreline of 18-1. However, taking down Peru will be a different kind of challenge, especially considering Danny Hay’s men have lost three of their last four matches against inter-confederation nations (W1). The one thing they could find comforting is that they have registered three clean sheets in five internationals this calendar year.