Bolivia striker Marcelo Martins has compared Peru to four-time world champions Italy ahead of their Copa America quarter-final meeting in Temuco.
The 28-year-old Changchun Yatai player believes Peru, who finished third at the 2011 tournament, are a side who defend well but who will gladly punish Bolivia.
"They are a team that resemble Italy, who will score goals if you let them," he told El Diario newspaper.
“They’ve progressed by playing very well and they have players who can hold the ball up.”
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Martins is quietly confident Bolivia, runners-up on home soil 18 years ago, can reach the semi-finals.
“We are surprised we’ve reached the knockout stages but we have done so because this Bolivian team have shown a dramatic improvement,” he said.
“The odds of either side winning this match are the same, and it will be hotly contested. We have a good chance.”
Bolivia beat Ecuador and drew with Mexico to accrue enough points to finish second to Chile, who would hammer them 5-0 in the final Group A game.
Peru were runners-up in their own group, with a victory over Venezuela and a goalless draw with Colombia securing four points and a last-eight berth.
Arequipa-born attacking midfielder Joel Sanchez told La Republica: "We are happy to have progressed but this will be a tough game.
“Bolivia are a good team and had to be to reach this stage.”
Peru will hope former Bayern Munich striker Paolo Guerrero, who scored five goals at the last tournament in Argentina, will end his current dry spell at the Estadio Municipal German Becker.
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