Panama - Peru

International Friendly

As I said a few days ago, Peru under the magician Markarian are a very different team to the one that finished in shame the World Cup qualies, and it's really a joy to watch them. Against Costa Rica last weekend, they controlled the entire match, and never looked in danger of conceding a goal. Especially in the first half they were really impressive, dominating the Central Americans, passing with speed, always going forward and trying to score, but also leaving their opponents very few spaces, resulting in only one chance to score for Costa Rica. For today's game, the main line-up shouldn't change too much. Most notable will be Johan Fano, who will start in attack in Rengifo's place, but the Atlante striker is also in good form, scoring 6 goals in 10 matches played in Clausura, so that shouldn't be a problem for Peru. Otherwise, all the impressive players from the last matches will be present: Farfan - who showed a lot of commitment and good play, Reimond Manco and Josepmir Ballon, who are both doing great jobs in the midfield. Panama doesn't seem much different than the teams Peru already played against. Ok, maybe they are better organized than Canada and Jamaica, but I'd rate them as pretty equal to Costa Rica, and as evidence we have that 2-2 between Panama and Costa Rica, one month ago. Peru just looks great recently, and them not being favorites here is a big surprise for me, as I certainly don't see them losing. GL!

Peru DNB @ 2.02, 4/10

Result: 1-0, LOST

Universitario de Sucre - Blooming

Bolivia Primera Division

The surprise package of Copa Sudamericana, Universitario Sucre (the team that knocked-out Colo Colo and Cerro Porteno) are having to deal with some serious squad problems. 5 of their players were busy with international call-ups, and only returned with the team on Friday at noon, giving them only 2 days to prepare for this match, but their probable state of fatigue, and the fact that Sucre plays next week again in Sudamericana, might convince the coach not to use them at all. All those players are regulars, and include the goalkeeper Lampe, and the team's top scorer Roberto Galindo. And besides them, striker Horacio Fernandez (4 goals scored so far) is also suspended, leaving their offensive power depleted. Moreover, next week they will face Palmeiras, so, even though nothing is confirmed, some other regulars could be rested in order to have them fit for the clash with the Brazilians. Meanwhile, Blooming is a pretty solid team, even when playing away, and they close the spaces very well, waiting for a deadly counter attack. Some tactical change is expected, employing a formation with 5 midfielders, in order to get the ball back as soon as possible, and launch the counter for the in-form Castillo. So, it will be hard for Blooming to win this game, but with some many probable absences for Sucre, they will certainly have their chances, a draw is pretty much on the cards here. GL!

Blooming (+0.75 AH) @ 2.06, 3/10

Result: 0-2, WON

Sol de America - Cerro Porteno

Paraguay Primera Division, Clausura

Cerro Porteno is passing through some bad moments, and especially in form form are their strikers, Nanni and Zeballos, who haven't scored for quite some time. And they haven't won for 3 consecutive matches, including the return leg with Universitario Sucre of Bolivia, which resulted in their elimination from Copa Sudamericana. So, as I said, Cerro has problems creating solid offensive moves, and even when they do, Nanni and Zeballos just blow them away. For this match they will also have some absences in defense, with GK Barreto and DF Cesar Benitez in Australia with the NT, while other DF Pedro Benitez is injured. Midfielder Ivan Torres is doubtful, as he didn't train last week due to some personal problems. Also, coach Torrente won't be able to lead the team from the bench, as he is suspended. All this absences will probably mean some extra attention in defense from Cerro, but I wouldn't worry too much about conceding, as Sol isn't too bright in offense either. As a matter of fact, especially against the big teams, they play very tight, compact, flooding their defensive lines and making it hard for the opposition to score. And that's the last thing Cerro needs at the moment. With an average of 1 goal scored per match, and also 1 conceded per match, Sol should prove a tough nut to crack for Cerro, and until their forwards snap out of their bad form, Cerro is not a team to be trusted here. Under 2.5 here for me, but a surprise 1X could also be a possibility. GL!

under 2.5 goals @ 1.84, 3/10

Result: 1-2, LOST

Newell's Old Boys - Quilmes

Argentina Primera Division, Apertura

I was really impressed with Newell's in Sudamericana, following their 6-0 win, as they really did a great match, and have shown that their recent form is not random. They have a good team, and their game plan is working like a charm. Of course, they were also helped a lot by the awful Bolivians, but let's not minimize their merits. Today they'll have a much more difficult game against Quilmes, as even the poorest team from Argentina shouldn't be as bad as San Jose were. But Newell's form and morale following their 11 games without a win, and their record-breaking Sudamericana win, makes them strong favorites for this game, and I'm sure they'll want to continue their run. Most of the players that trashed the Bolivians will also play today. The only important missings will be defender Alayes - who will be rested, and winger Estigarribia - injured. But overall they will still have a very solid team, with players like Schiavi, Sperduti, Formica and Borghello playing their part. To assume Quilmes can snatch some points here is a bit of a stretch in my opinion. Last place in the table, and without a win so far must have really broken their spirit, and the worst part is that they don't seem capable to snap out of it. They might have snatched some draws against teams with big names, but overall, they are performing poorly, so points won with River, Independiente and Argentinos can't really be points of reference. Newell's is a class better than them, and anything else other than a clear win here (2-0, 3-0) would be a big surprise. GL!

Newell's (-1 AH) @ 2.04, 3/10

Result: 1-1, LOST

Peru - Costa Rica

International Friendly

Peru looks really good in this new era under 'El Mago' Markarian, and have won both matches played so far, against Canada and Jamaica, and I was impressed by their play, showing some new life in them. And the new coach also managed to set an improved atmosphere in the camp, and that could also be a reason for the good play. He'll change the system for today's match, as he'll move away from the 4-4-2 used in the previous two games, and will try a 3-4-3 here, which on paper looks good, as we'll have Rengifo, Chavez and Farfan up-front. All of them look in solid form, and I'm expecting them to transfer their league form to the national team. the three-defenders line might look a bit shaky, but Ramos, Zambrano and Vilchez are solid centre-backs, and when defending, Peru's tactical plan can easily change to a 5-3-2, as the wingers Guizasola and Rabanal will probably have defensive duties. For Costa Rica, this match won't probably mean too much, as they are lead by an interim coach, who will be changed after next week's game, and also some regulars are missing, most notably in attack, where neither Bryan Ruiz, nor Saborio or Parks have been called-up, so the strikers will be from the local league, without much experience. In defense we also see some lack of quality, as only Badilla is a regular, and will most probably play along 2 debutants. Peru shouldn't have any problems winning this, and a 2-0 score is my call. GL!

Peru (-0.75 AH) @ 1.85, 4/10

Result: 2-0, WON