Venezuela vs Peru 16/06/19

16 June 2019

Venezuela and Peru start their 2019 Copa America campaign at the Arena do Grêmio in Porto Alegre as the two nations go head-to-head for their opening fixture of Group A.

Even though the Venezuelans enter the tournament after clinching a commanding 3-0 win over the United States, they’ve been going through a turbulent period over the past ten months (W4, D3, L3). Rafael Dudamel seems to has yet to solve his team’s defensive frailties that have seen them struggle to keep a clean sheet in six consecutive games prior to the aforementioned triumph. Still, one of La Vinotinto’s main problems in 2019 has been their unprolific display in the final third that has seen them score over 1.5 match goals only twice in five outings since the turn of the year, although they’ve managed to find the net in all of those games.

Meanwhile, the Peruvians have endured a challenging period since exiting the World Cup in the group stage, as they’ve pulled off barely three triumphs in ten post-World Cup games, sustaining six defeats in the process (W3, D1, L6). Notably, all six of their losses in that period have seen them concede over 1.5 goals per match, while all three of their wins saw them beat their rivals to nil. If La Blanquirroja win here, it would probably be accompanied by a clean sheet considering eight of their nine wins over the past 20 months saw them outplay their opponents without conceding a goal.

Interestingly, two of the previous H2H meetings between these two nations have ended with the same 2-2 scoreline, with Venezuela leading at the halftime break in both.