Whatever side Argentina puts out, they will still probably have too much for Peru to handle, and we do think Scaloni will still pick a strong side.

Peru haven’t beaten Argentina this century, having lost 12 of their last 16 encounters and holding Argentina to a draw just four times.

Considering this crop of Argentina players is the reigning World Cup and Copa America champions and this Peru side is a far cry from it’s strongest sides of old, the Argentines should still have enough to see out the game with some fresh legs and energy.

Wilder Cartagena has been living up to his name in recent games with his ferocious tackling and battling.

He committed four fouls against Canada and made eight tackles. He also committed two fouls against Chile in his first game.

Over the course of the past few seasons, he averages 1.36 fouls per game. Argentina conceded 12 fouls against Chile in their last game and have averaged 16 fouls drawn per game over the past few international seasons.

Peru themselves have been racking up the foul count, with 17 fouls against Canada and 18 against Chile. It’s a clear tactic for them to disrupt their opponent’s play and I’ll be expecting more of the same against Argentina.

Maxime Crepeau in the Canadian goal had six saves to make against the Argentines and Claudio Bravo had eight saves to make for Chile.

Argentina will be expected to dominate the game, no matter who lines up at the start. Although Pedro Gallese has had just two saves to make in his matches so far, Argentina are a significant step up in attacking quality to Chile and Canada and he will have his work cut out for the duration of the match.

Argentina should be fairly relaxed, having already secured qualification, but that also means they can go out and enjoy the game with minimal pressure, which potentially makes them far more dangerous in an attacking sense.

Having outlined the stats on Wilder’s fouling and tackling, it logically follows that he might be over-exuberant in the challenge and draw the wrath of the referee.

Referee, Cesar Arturo Ramos, averages 4.23 cards per game across his career and might want to set an early example if Peru’s fouling becomes persistent early in the game.

He picked up just one booking in his last five games but with it being a must win for Peru, it could easily lead to frustrations or desperate challenges being made.

Incredibly, the little magician hasn’t scored yet in the opening two matches of the Copa America. He was relatively quiet in the Chile game, but hit three shots on target against Canada.

Although Argentina have safely progressed, I still expect him to get minutes in this game and for the maestro to go three games without scoring will be unlikely with his still undoubtable talent and impact.

He’s still first choice on penalties and any free kicks with a shooting angle, and this could be the game his tournament kicks into gear.

Tottenham fans will be well aware of Cristian Romero’s physicality and his style of play, which brings the nostalgia of no-nonsense defenders from the 1980s.

Sadly for him, the laws of the game have changed somewhat since then, leading to more than a few red cards in his time. However, to describe him just as an old-school defender doesn’t do him justice.

He has the ability to bring the ball out of defence and has shown a forward’s instinct with some vital goals too. He averages 1.24 fouls per game and picked up two against Chile.

He’s fouled at least once in seven of his last nine appearances for Argentina and against a Peru team that is going to be committing plenty of fouls of their own, he’ll be keen to make his mark on the game with his own unique brand of cynicism.