Guerrero has a point to prove as Peru face Denmark

MOSCOW: Peru will be looking to their captain Paolo Guerrero to give the South American nation some sorely missed World Cup glory after the striker received a Swiss court’s green light to play in Russia.

The 34-year-old striker will now be leading his side out in Saransk today in a match pitting one of the shortest teams in the tournament in Peru, at an average squad height of 178 centimetres, against Denmark, one of the tallest with an average squad height of 185 cm.

The Group C game looks to be crucial for two sides in a group with favourites France, who are up against Australia the same day in Kazan.

Peru, back at a World Cup for the first time in 36 years, were boosted by a ruling two weeks ago by the highest Swiss federal court giving Guerrero a stay on a doping ban until after the World Cup.

The former Bayern Munich and Hamburg striker tested positive for the banned stimulant benzoylecgonine, which is found in cocaine, after a World Cup qualifier in Argentina in October.

He was banned for 12 months by football governing body Fifa, which halved it to six months on appeal. The World Anti-doping Agency WADA took that ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport which raised the ban to 14 months, prompting Guerrero’s appeal and a request for a stay at the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

Peru coach Ricardo Gareca named another former Bundesliga veteran in his squad in former Schalke striker Jefferson Farfan as Peru aim to do better than at their last World Cup appearance, in Spain in 1982, when they were eliminated at the group stage.

“Peru’s goal is to move on to the next phase, but we must think match by match, that will be the key to becoming strong,” goalkeeper Pedro Gallese said.

“We have to defend with the ball, that’s our game identity. It does not make sense for us to change that mentality because up until now it has given us very good results.”

Midfielder Pedro Aquino said: “We’re not afraid that Denmark are opponents with players taller than us.”

It is Peru’s fifth participation at a World Cup, and twice they went beyond the first phase – in Mexico in 1970 and Argentina in 1978.

In Mexico they went out to winners Brazil in the quarter-finals, although there was no last 16 then. In Argentina they lost all three games in the second group phase operating at that time, including a 6-0 defeat which put the hosts into the final.

Peru have the advantage of a large fan contingent in Russia, with more than 40 000 supporters following La Blanquirroja, and Aquino said it would feel like playing in Lima.

Denmark, who missed out on the World Cup in Brazil four years ago, are on a run of 15 games without defeat and beat Mexico 2-0 in their final World Cup warm-up match on Saturday.

Coach Age Hareide appears to have plenty of attacking options.

“I think we have great competition in the team for the number 9 spot,” said Kasper Dolberg, although the young Ajax striker may have to make way for Feyenoord’s Nicolai Jorgensen.

“Nicolai is a good striker who scores goals like myself so the competition for a spot is high,” Dolberg said. – DPA