LIMA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Italian-born striker Gianluca Lapadula and talismanic playmaker Christian Cueva were among 28 players named in Peru's squad on Friday for their World Cup qualifying playoff against Australia or the United Arab Emirates.
But there was no place for veteran forwards Paolo Guerrero and Jefferson Farfan, who failed to recover in time from serious knee problems.
The one-off match will be played in Doha on June 13, with the winner earning a berth at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which will run from November 21 to December 18.
As expected, Peru manager Ricardo Gareca included goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, full back Miguel Trauco and central defender Carlos Zambrano.
Gareca said he expected a difficult game, irrespective of the opponent.
"Both teams will be in the same boat and will do all they can to make it to the World Cup," he said. "It is very difficult to qualify, at least for us, and it is a unique opportunity to be able to be there."
Peru squad:
Goalkeepers: Pedro Gallese (Orlando City), Angelo Campos (Alianza Lima), Jose Carvallo (Universitario).
Defenders: Miguel Araujo (Emmen), Luiz Abram (Cruz Azul), Luis Advincula, Carlos Zambrano (Boca Juniors), Miguel Trauco (Saint Etienne), Aldo Corzo (Universitario), Alexander Callens (New York City), Christian Ramos (Alianza Lima), Marcos Lopez (San Jose Earthquakes).
Midfielders: Wilder Cartagena (Al-Ittihad Kalba), Sergio Pena (Malmo), Christian Cueva (Al-Fateh), Yoshimar Yotun (Sporting Cristal), Renato Tapia (Celta), Andre Carrillo (Al Hilal), Edison Flores (DC United), Christopher Gonzales, Horacio Calcaterra (Sporting Cristal), Raziel Garcia (Tolima), Gabriel Costa (Colo Colo), Jairo Concha (Alianza Lima), Pedro Aquino (America).
Forwards: Gianluca Lapadula (Benevento), Alex Valera (Universitario), Santiago Ormeno (Leon). ■
