By FRANCO PANIZO

They may once again have fallen just short of reaching the Copa America final, but both Peru and Paraguay have a shot to claim some more hardware on Friday.

They will just have to do so without some of their top talents.

Peru and Paraguay will wrap up their impressive Copa America campaigns in Chile on Friday night, as they square off in the tournament’s third-place match. The two nations are entering the game at Estadio Municipal de Concepcion with some injury concerns, but Paraguay may be the one that is worse off due to expected absences of attackers Roque Santa Cruz, Derlis Gonzalez, and Nelson Haedo Valdez, and defender Bruno Valdez.

Peru will be missing some of its first-choice regulars, too. Already without centerback Carlos Zambrano due to the red card he received in the 2-1 semifinals loss to Chile, the Peruvians are also likely to be without veteran forward Claudio Pizarro, who is apparently battling some niggling injuries.

Fellow star attacker Jefferson Farfan is another question mark for Peru head coach Ricardo Gareca, who will have to get creative if the Peruvians are to finish in third place for the second straight Copa America.

The Paraguayans will do their best to ensure that does not happen, especially after suffering a humiliating 6-1 defeat to Argentina in the last round. Moving past that loss is not the only incentive Paraguay has either, as the Guaranies will want to grab another medal after finishing in second place in the Copa America in Argentina four years ago.

Paraguay manager Ramon Diaz will also want to end the tournament on a high note to silence the critics that are saying that his side had a bad showing at the Copa America. The Paraguayans currently boast a 1-1-3 record, and anything less than a win will do little to inspire the masses about the country’s chances of doing well in the looming 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.

The Peruvians, meanwhile, have inspired plenty of confidence back home. Forward Paolo Guerrero and left back Juan Manuel Vargas have helped lead a young team to some decent results (2-2-1) and solid performances that have the long-suffering Peruvian fans dreaming of something bigger.

Peru will need to close out the tournament with a third-place victory for the optimism to remain, but Paraguay is equally as eager to win a medal. Neither nation is a clear-cut favorite, especially not with so many potential injuries and absences, but both of them still have enough quality to prevail and gain momentum ahead of this fall’s initial World Cup qualifiers.

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What do you think of Peru and Paraguay’s third-place match? Who do you see coming out on top? Which team has had the better tournament up to this point?

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