Peru are aiming to cause an upset here, but it’s hard to know if they’re capable of that. They made it this far thanks to their win over Bolivia in the group stage, but they were poor in their other two games. They started with a 0-0 draw with Venezuela, while that was followed up by a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Brazil. That’s left Peru in a tough spot going into this weekend’s quarter-final, as they’re low on confidence with little time to turn things around.
finishing in the top three is the goal, then St. Patricks are off the pace at present, though there is still time for them to fulfil their objective. A win in this fixture would close the gap, which is currently six points wide, but beating Shamrock, who currently sit 2nd, will be anything but easy.
Less than two months ago, it looked as though St. Patrick’s hopes of finishing in the top three were a thing of the past, though they’ve since rallied and are thus now back in the hunt. Monday’s hosts have avoided defeat in each of their last four league matches, while they’ve won each of their last two. Beating Finn Harps and UC Dublin isn’t exactly anything to shout about, though such wins will at least give the hosts confidence ahead of what is likely to be a testing encounter.
Up and down away from has often prevented them from getting seriously close to the top three, though St. Patrick’s efforts at home have been solid this season. Only two teams in Ireland’s Premier Division have accumulated more points at home than Harry Kenny’s men, who’ve won six, drawn three and lost three of their 12 matches at Richmond Park.
A lack of offensive power hasn’t exactly helped Monday’s hosts, who’ve scored just 11 goals in 12 home games, though they have at least defended well, shipping only ten goals in front of their own fans. What’s more, they’ve scored in each of their last four at home, conceding just twice during that time.