In the early hours of Wednesday, Peru and Venezuela face off in South American World Cup qualifying.
Peru form guideIncas are not in great form heading into this clash, as they have failed to win in six games, having picked up just one draw. A 2-0 defeat in Bolivia in their last outing means that they have suffered four straight losses in World Cup qualifying.
The loss left Peru bottom of the standings, as they have claimed just one point from their five opening qualifiers.
An impotent attack has been the biggest issue for Peru lately, as they have failed to score in seven of their previous nine internationals, including their last five World Cup qualifiers.
Not even home advantage has helped Peru pick up wins in qualifying, as they have won just one of their previous four qualifiers on home soil while suffering back-to-back home losses in World Cup qualifying.
Venezuela form guideFernando Batista’s team is currently unbeaten in their previous four World Cup qualifiers after a 0-0 home draw with Ecuador last time out. Their decent form has Venezuela sitting in fourth-place spot of the standings, in one of the automatic qualification berths.
The game saw the visitors continue a solid defensive record, as they have now kept clean sheets in three of their previous four World Cup qualifiers.
One facet of their game that Venezuela needs to improve if they are to maintain a qualification spot is their away form, as they have failed to win any of their previous 11 away qualifiers.
A highly creditable 1-1 draw in Brazil in their last away qualifier ended a losing streak of ten qualifiers away from home.
What am I backing?This game pits a poor home team against a team that doesn’t travel well. I can see this being a close game, so I am backing the draw.