2018 FIFA World Cup: France vs Peru – Match Preview
Jun 21, 2018 at 8:25 AM
With an eye on the knockouts, France will be looking to secure a win when they take on Peru in the second of the three games on Thursday.
One of the firm favourites, France were far from being at their best in their opener against Australia. It took them a penalty from Antoine Griezmann and a late deflected strike from Paul Pogba to register an unconvincing 2-1 win. Les Bleus were pushed all the way by Australia but they somehow managed to walk away with all the three points.
Well, they will have the chance to get back to their best against Peru. A win against the South Americans will take them to the knockouts.
On the other hand, Peru gave a good account of themselves as they returned to World Cup action for the first time since 1982. In their opener against Denmark, they lost 1-0 to Denmark but managed to turn a lot of heads with their game. They had missed a penalty in the first half and eventually lost the game. With their hopes of making it to the next stage looking bleak at the moment, they will have to beat France at any cost to remain on course for the knockout stage. France will surely start the game as favourites but Peru will draw motivation with the way Australia held the Les Bleus for the large part of the game.
Sportzwiki brings you all you need to know ahead of the clash between the two sides.
Venue and time:
France and Peru will lock horns at Ekaterinburg Arena. The action will begin at 8:30 PM IST on Thursday.
Players to look out for:
For France, all eyes will be on Antoine Griezmann. The Atletico Madrid striker scored the opener for France but did not look at his best. With Peru set to play in a style that will give the France forwards a lot of space, Griezmann will be keen to make his mark.
Eligible to play in Russia having been initially suspended following a doping ban, Paolo Guerrero was surprisingly named on the bench against Denmark. Peru’s all-time leading scorer and captain made an immediate impact once introduced, almost equalizing. Peru will be hoping their veteran striker delivers the goods in the all-important clash.
Where to watch:
The Indian fans will enjoy extensive coverage of the game. The English coverage will get telecast on SONY TEN 2 SD and HD channels.
The Hindi feed will be aired on SONY TEN 3 SD and HD channels. Bengali and Malayali feed will be available on SONY ESPN SD channel.
Possible line-ups:
France:
Hugo Lloris; Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Hernandez; Paul Pogba, Ngolo Kante, Blaise Matuidi; Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Kylian Mbappe.
Peru:
Pedro Gallese, Luis Advincula, Christian Ramos, Alberto Rodriguez, Miguel Trauco, Pedro Aquino, Yoshimar Yotun, Andre Carrillo, Edison Flores, Jefferson Farfan, Paolo Guerrero.
Follow live score on Sportzwiki.