Peru will take on Venezuela in a Group C clash at Estadio Elias Figueroa Brander in Chile on Thursday, 18 June. This is a must-win game for Peru as they have lost their first match against Brazil even after breaking the deadlock early.
Venezuela on the other hand, have managed to stun the star-studded Colombia by a solitary goal from Zenit Saint Petersburg's Jose Salomon Rondon in their first fixture.
The Group C now stands at a very interesting juncture. If Venezuela wins this game against Peru then they will techincally seal a berth in the quarter final stages of Copa America 2015.
"All games are difficult to negotiate, and Venezuela will not be taking it easy because they have taken three points against Colombia. They are going out to win the game too. There is still a long way to go, and while this will only be the fifth game since I took over I have some hope that we will be able to play as I would like us to play," the head coach of Peru Ricardo Gareca told the reporters ahead of their encounter against Venezuela.
On the other hand, Noel Sanvicente, the head coach of Venezuela feels that Peru will not be showing any kind of respect to his side as they would be desperate to bounce back in this competition.
"They are not going to respect us as much as they did Dunga's team, and they can play well as they have very experienced players. Except Argentina and Brazil, who have many individual stars, every team can beat everyone else in South America. I hope the team keeps getting better, keeps driving on together and doing great things because that way we will perform even better," said Sanvicente at a press conference ahead of the match.
Meanwhile, Venezuela goal-keeper Alain Baroja feels that his side should carry on with the winning momentum. They got a major boost in confidence after they defeated Colombia in the opening fixture.
"We had the euphoria of the match against Colombia but now we have to think with a cool head,'' the 25-year-old Baroja told the Venezuelan media. It was good to start with three points and now we hope to continue scoring. We're eager to continue doing our best in every game and go as far as possible in the tournament," Baroja said.
Injuries have been a major cause of concern for Peru. Jefferson Farfan, Claudio Pizarro and winger Juan Manuel Vargas are suffering from injuries, but they still might play in this upcoming match. Farfan is a little more serious than the other two as he might be replaced by Yordy Reyna.
Tomás Rincón, the captain of the Venezuelan side, feels that his team has to thread Peru's midfield if they want to get their names on the scoreboard and register a victory.
"Peru have some very interesting players in the middle. Against Colombia we played a great game, but the Peruvians are very quick and dynamic so we must be vigilant," Rincón said.
Expected Line-ups:
Peru: Gallese, Advincula, Zambrano, Ascues, Vargas, Ballon, Lobaton, Farfan, Sanchez, Cueva, Guerrero.
Venzuela: Baroja, Rosales, Vizcarrondo, Tunez, Amorebieta, Rincon, Seijas, Arango, Guerra, Vargas, Rondon.
Where to watch live:
The match between Peru and Venezuela is scheduled for 8:30pm local time (5am IST, 12:30am BST, 7:30pm ET) with live coverage in India on Sony Kix and Sony Six HD. Live streaming option is available on Livsports.
The UK viewers can switch to Premier Sports. The opening Copa America match can be live-streamed on Premier Player.
People in the US can watch the match live on beIn Sports and stream the same live on beIn Sports Connect, Fubo TV and TYC Sports.com.
Viewers in Australia can live stream the match on beIn Sports Connect Australia.
Middle East viewers can watch the match live on beIn Sports Arabia 1 HD and beIn Sports Arabia 2 HD.
