The new and hesitant Peruvian national team, against which Colombia is seeking qualification: no enemy is small.

The Peruvian national team's numbers are poor. Colombia's opponent this Thursday in Barranquilla in a key match of South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup . They are second to last, with only 10 points in 14 games, the result of only two wins, and a goal difference of minus 11.

The Peruvian national team's football has been very poor. Without a decisive generational change, with only 52 percent of its players called up from leagues abroad (13 of 25 players), and with the hesitation inherent in having its third coach on the bench during the tournament, it remains hopeful that in the last four matches it will achieve seventh place and qualify for the playoffs.

Óscar Ibáñez, who was Ricardo Gareca's goalkeeping coach during the 2018 Russia qualification campaign, will be in charge for his third match as interim coach. Last February, he replaced Uruguayan Jorge Fossati, who then replaced Juan Reynoso.

Ibáñez beat Bolivia 3-1 at home, but lost 1-0 to Venezuela in Maturín. That last game, as it stands, is the only indication of how they might face Colombia.

At point guard, Ibáñez, a 57-year-old former Peruvian goalkeeper, switched from the 3-5-2 tactical formation used by Fossati, returning to a back four as the foundation of a 4-2-3-1 (see graphic) aligned with Gallese; Advíncula, Zambrano, Garcés and López; Tapia and Aquino; Polo, Carrillo and Reyna; and Guerrero.

In that match, Ibáñez planned a game that focused on midfield combat, crowding the area, with a defensive focus, using force to prevent offensive development and disrupt the home side's partnerships and creation. His plan to keep a clean sheet almost worked out: he lost the match with a penalty (41st minute).

With the score at 1-0, Ibánez made three of the five possible substitutions to try to tie the game, all of them offensive players: Lapadula, Flórez, and Quevedo.

The team stretched out their attack, but didn't create any significant danger. However, their offensive approach was limited, and they only managed one direct shot on goal out of 11 attempts: a long-range shot from full-back Luis Advíncula (see chart). According to SofaScore (a statistical site affiliated with EL TIEMPO), they didn't have any significant scoring opportunities and their expected goal factor was minuscule: 0.12.

“Colombia is a tough team, but we're very confident. If we lose, we're practically out,” said goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, who plays for Orlando City in the MLS in the United States. “We have no margin for error,” said left-back Marcos López of Copenhagen in Denmark.

Ibáñez's biggest headache is the physical condition of André Carrillo, the offensive link in the coach's scheme. His team, Corinthians of Brazil, reported that the player "underwent tests and had a confirmed injury to the posterior muscle of his left hip," an official statement explained.

Carrillo is one of the most important players of the Peruvian national team called up, valued at just 31.4 million euros, 10 times less than the estimated cost in the market of the Colombian National Team (317.5), according to Transfermarkt (see graph).

But Peru is no small foe for Colombia. In the last qualifying round, they arrived in Barranquilla as the underdogs and won 1-0. The match in which Colombia effectively bid farewell to the World Cup in Qatar...