Political Minefield
The appointment of François Bayrou as France’s new Prime Minister highlights the formidable challenges facing the country as it struggles with political gridlock, economic uncertainty, and public discontent.
Peru coach Ricardo Gareca emphasised on Wednesday that his side will do its best to beat France in the World Cup Group C match in Ekaterinburg Arena on Thursday.
Peru ended a 36-year World Cup absence in its opener but suffered a cruel 0-1 loss to Denmark last Saturday. Gareca told a press conference that he was still disappointed with the result against Denmark, reported Xinhua news agency.
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“It hurts because your debut ended with a negative result you felt, but the hours have passed,” he said.
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Regarding Thursday’s match, Gareca said although France is much stronger than Denmark, his men will play in the field as always.
“We always have a specific idea that is to win in any scenario and win against any rival, even though France is a favourite,” said the 60-year-old coach.
Ricardo Gareca also admitted that he and the team already did a lot of analysis on France. “We know the players of France because we always see them in different European competitions. We work on how to counteract their attack.”
Responding whether the 34-year-old striker Paolo Guerrero will be included in the starting lineup on Thursday, Gareca declined to release any detail.
“Paolo is very good. Not putting him in the starting lineup before Denmark was my decision,” Gareca said. “What really matters is that the collective works.”
Guerrero was banned for testing positive for cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine last year. However, a Swiss court last month granted an order to freeze his 14-month ban during the World Cup in Russia, which began last Thursday.
The Peruvian forwarded played 30 minutes in the match against Denmark and created several chances. Now the Peruvian media expected that the veteran striker can play a full-time game against the French.
Following the loss to Denmark, a victory is needed for Peru in the match against France on Thursday to preserve their hope of surviving the World Cup group stage.
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