Group C at the World Cup in Russia will continue on June 16th with Peru and Denmark, who should both have designs on reaching the next round. France are the favorites in the group, while Peru, Denmark and Australia all figure to be chasing them. That means this opening match will be huge for Peru and Denmark.
What To Know About Peru
Peru are back at the World Cup for the first time since 1982, and they finished fifth in CONMEBOL, which sent them to a playoff with New Zealand. Peru won that by a 2-0 score over two legs, and they have some good attacking players, led by midfielders Edison Flores and Christian Cueva. They combined for nine goals in qualification and this could be their time to make a big-time move in their career. Jefferson Farfan can still find the back of the net at 33 years old, while captain and striker Paolo Guerrero will be back from a drug suspension. The issues could come at the back, where Peru has a lot of defenders, six of whom started at least 11 games during qualification. Also, goalkeeper Pedro Gallese had knee surgery and while he’ll be ready for the World Cup, he has been out for a while and he could be rusty.
What To Know About Denmark
Denmark returns to the World Cup for the first time since 2010 after they had to go through a playoff in UEFA, and then they blasted Ireland by a 5-1 scoreline over two legs. Christian Eriksen scored a hat trick against Ireland and finished with eight goals in qualification, and he is the player that this team works around. Thomas Delaney added four goals in qualification from midfield, and he is a solid foil to the talents of Eriksen, because Denmark doesn’t have a lot to work with up front. At the back, their best player is Andreas Christensen, but the right-back is just 21 years old and he has slowed down a bit for Chelsea in his first season in a league that doesn’t take a winter break. He has been rested for recent friendlies and Denmark needs him to be at his best in defense.
Outlook
Denmark are favored in this World Cup match at 2.10, while a Peru are rated at 3.60 and a draw comes in at 3.25. Denmark beat Peru 2-1 in a January 1997 friendly, so the first part of the game could be a feeling-out period. Both teams have defenses that can be unlocked, but the matchup of the game could be in the midfield, specifically, Cuevas against Eriksen. Whichever of these players can impose their will on the game should give their team the upper hand and while Eriksen is known to a lot of people from his time in Tottenham, especially this season, Cuevas plies his trade in Brazil and he could be ready to make a move after this tournament. This is going to be a very intriguing match to watch at the World Cup.
World Cup Betting Pick: Draw
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