© Reuters
Coming into the 2021 Copa America, Peru manager Ricardo Gareca made several key decisions about his squad which will hugely affect their plans going into the opening clash with host nation Brazil.
Placing priority on younger players, he opted to leave forwards Raul Ruidiaz and Paolo Guerrero out of the 26-man squad.
Guerrero in particular is a shocking omission, having hit 13 goals in the last four iterations of the Copa America, leading the way in the 2011, 2015 and 2019 tournaments with five, four and three goals respectively.
In his absence, a lot of the attacking responsibility will fall on attacking midfielder Christian Cueva, who has hit 11 goals in 72 caps, mostly from a wide role.
Twenty-five-year-old Sergio Pena will also feature heavily going forward, having netted seven goals and two assists for Emmen in the Eredivisie last season.
They should support Gianluca Lapadula in attack in the absence of both Guerrero and Ruidiaz.
At the other end of the pitch, Luis Abram and Christian Ramos should partner up at centre-back.
The pair will shield goalkeeper and captain Pedro Gallese, who boasts some of the most experience in the squad with 68 appearances for his nation.
Peru possible starting lineup: Gallese; Advincula, Ramos, Abram, Lopez; Tapia, Yotun; Carillo, Pena, Cueva; Lapadula
