Our prediction for this match:
All eyes will be on Rose Bowl when Peru and Mexico take on each other in a friendly on Saturday morning. The Peruvians failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup finals, with the team losing to Australia on penalties in the playoffs final, meaning that the lack of confidence could prove to be a big problem for the nominal hosts. MLS ace Raul Ruidiaz is back to the squad, with Gianluca Lapadula, Christian Cueva, and Luis Advincula receiving call-ups as well.
El Tri, on the other hand, aim to bounce back from a 1-0 loss to Paraguay. The Mexicans have big ambitions for the upcoming showpiece tournament in Qatar, and we predict that they will prove their worth in Saturday’s warm-up game. A man to watch in the away team will be Wolverhampton striker Raul Jimenez, while Houston midfielder Hector Herrera is unlikely to be risked as he has been struggling with injury of late.
Highlighted Player (Hector Herrera):
Mexico international Hector Herrera is a 26-year-old midfielder playing for Portugal giants FC Porto. Herrera began his career with Pachuca in 2010 and spent three years at the club before being sold to Porto. During his first season with the Dragons Herrera struggled for playing time, but he went on to cement his place in the starting eleven, becoming one of the most valuable players for the club.
Herrera has since them racked up over 110 performances for the Portugal side, scoring over 20 goals in the process. Full Mexico international since 2012, Hector Herrera represented his country at the 2014 World Cup.
During the summer of 2016 Herrera was heavily linked with a move away from Porto and was reported to have made a personal agreement with Italian side Napoli, but the €25 million asking price proved to be a stumbling block that ended up ruining the deal.
Highlighted Team (Peru):
Peru national team has been competing at the international stage since 1927 when they played their first ever match against Uruguay. Over the course of their history, La Blanquirroja have formed long-standing rivalries with Chile and Ecuador while 1970s brought the team a worldwide recognition during the period that is to this date considered the most successful in Peruvian football.
Teofilo Cubillas, the team’s top scorer with 26 goals to his name is considered Peru’s greatest player helped the team qualify for three World Cups and win the Copa America in 1975. Peru are the two-time champion of the tournament, who came close to lifting the Copa America trophy again in recent years, finishing third in 2011 and 2015 respectively.
La Blanquirroja are managed by Ricardo Gareca commonly referred to as the Tiger who will lead his team to 2016 Copa America Centenario looking to win Peru its first trophy at a major tournament since 1982.