Peru striker Paolo Guerrero. (Photo : Getty Images)
CONCACAF team Haiti and CONMEBOL squad Peru are set to open Group B competitions in the 2016 Copa América Centenario on Saturday, June 4 in a match scheduled to be held at the CenturyLink Field in Seattle.
Haiti and Peru are included in Group B with powerhouse teams Brazil and Ecuador so expectations are not that high for these two clubs to advance to the knockout stage after the group competitions.
Les Grenadiers is set to make its debut in the Copa América tournament and the whole nation is said to be excited in seeing their national team compete against the world's best even if they are not among the favorites to win the tournament, as per World Soccer Talk.
Coached by 62-year-old Frenchman Patrice Neveu, Haiti is the lowest ranked team in the group at 71st in the official FIFA world rankings and pulling off just one win in the tourney would already be a huge accomplishment for the squad.
The team is coming off a 1-3 loss to Colombia in a pre-Copa friendly match, which gave them a little glimpse of what the competition is going to be about.
Meanwhile, Peru is a dark horse in the group not because the 2015 Copa América third-placers are not popular but because the team is now composed mostly of young players who are untested in international competition.
Gone are veteran stars Claudio Pizzaro, Jefferson Farfan, and Juan Manuel Vargas as they were not included in head coach Ricardo Gareca's lineup this year. The Big Lead noted that the team is "opting for a fresh start" as 13 of 20 "outfield players have fewer than 10 caps. Seven have one or zero caps. Seventeen of the 23 man squad are based in Peru."
La Blanquirroja will now have to rely on 32-year-old striker Paolo Guerrero of Flamengo as their main scoring threat. He is backed up by Toluca midfielder Christian Cueva and Pedro Gallese will still be the no. 1 keeper. The squad is expected to pull off some surprises in the tourney.
The predicted result is a 2-0 win for Peru.
Haiti starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Placide; Alcenat, Jerome, Aveska, Goreux; Alexandre, Marcelin, Norde, Millien; Maurice, Belfort
Peru starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Gallese; Revoredo, Rodriguez, Ramos, Corzo; Yotun, Cueva, Balbin; Flores, Guerrero, Ruidiaz
