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Peru travels to Colombia for S. American World Cup qualifier

Xinhua, October 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

Peru's national soccer team on Wednesday travelled to Colombia for the first match of the South American World Cup qualifying tournament, seeking to return to the tournament after three decades, local press reported.

The game will be held on Thursday in Colombia's northern city of Barranquilla.

Peru, led by coach Ricardo Gareca, is moderately optimistic but still seeks a victory against a difficult rival, known for its high quality.

The Peruvian squad knows it will not be easy to play before the rival's fans in Barranquilla, a city with intense heat. But Peru hopes to return to World Cup after many years, since the last time they participated was in Spain 1982.

Peru is confident of the power of both its young and veteran players. Unfortunately, Peruvian forward Jefferson Farfan is injured and will not play against Colombia.

Gareca said Colombia is a high-quality team and is favorite to win, but that Peru has a capable team, able to face a strong rival.

Recently Peru has shown a better level. The Andean team reached third place in 2015 Copa America held in Chile. Endite