Colombia will look to solidify its World Cup 2014 hopes when it takes on Peru in the CONMEBOL qualifiers on Tuesday.
The top four teams in the CONMEBOL qualify for the World Cup finals next summer while the fifth team must face off against the AFC's fifth place squad to book passage to the tournament.
Los Cafeteros are coming off a 0-0 draw in Argentina. The point they obtained was their 20th of the campaign; Colombia is currently tied with Ecuador for the second spot in the group but only leads fifth place Venezuela by four points. Since September the Colombians have been fantastic. The squad earned a 4-0 win over Uruguay on Sept. 7 before destroying Chile 3-1 on the road four days later. In October, Colombia defeated Paraguay 2-0 before annihilating Bolivia 5-0 on March 22. Unfortunately, the team has only garnered two points in its most recent games; Colombia lost 1-0 against Venezuela in late March and drew against Argentina. Radamel Falcao leads the team in scoring with six goals in 11 qualifiers.
Peru is in dire need of points and has played terrific soccer in the last few months. The Peruvians have only lost once in their last six matches since a 4-2 defeat against Uruguay on June 10, 2012. In its most recent match, Peru took down Ecuador 1-0 to jump into sixth place in the standings. The team has a total of 14 points and trails fifth place Venezuela by two points; Peru also has a game in hand on Venezuela.
Prediction: Colombia will be playing at home in Barranquilla, a site that has been unkind to visitors. Look for the home squad to earn a 3-0 win.
Start Time: 4:30 PM EST
TV: beinSport Play
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction