Scotland face Peru in the early hours of Wednesday morning as the South Americans finalise preparations for this summer's World Cup.

The two nations famously met in 1978, when Peru shocked the Scots in their World Cup opener with a 3-1 win.

Here we run the rule over the current Peruvian squad as Alex McLeish's side get set for their upcoming friendly.

Peru ended a 36-year wait to reach the finals by beating New Zealand 2-0 in a play-off.

Qualification capped a remarkable turnaround by the Peruvians after they toiled in the early World Cup qualifiers, winning just one of their first six fixtures.

The turning point came in their seventh match, when a 2-0 defeat was overturned into a 3-0 victory after Bolivia fielded an ineligible player.

Since then, Ricardo Gareca's side have gone from strength-to-strength and currently lie 11th in the FIFA rankings.

It's not all been plain sailing en route to the World Cup, however, as captain Paolo Guerrero has been controversially banned from taking part after testing positive for cocaine, which was contained in tea he drank.

The captains of Peru's World Cup group opponents have appealed to FIFA to lift the suspension.

With talismanic striker Guerrero suspended, onus will likely fall on veteran attacker Jefferson Farfan to lead from the front in Russia.

The 33-year-old has remained a mainstay for Peru across a nomadic career in the game, which has seen Farfan play in Holland, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.

Blessed with terrific pace and good dribbling ability, Farfan has made more than 80 appearances and scored 24 goals for his country.

He scored the decisive opener as Peru beat New Zealand to end their World Cup wait and will carry Peruvian hopes on his shoulders once more this summer.

Wide man Andre Carrillo will likely be tasked with supplying the ammunition for Farfan.

Capable of playing off either wing, the 26-year-old spent last season on loan at Watford from Benfica where he made 28 appearances for the Hornets.

Former Argentina international Ricardo Gareca has been in charge of Peru since 2015.

He had an instant impact after taking over, reviving Peruvian fortunes as Los Incas reached the last four of the Copa America.

A stodgy start to their bid to qualify for the World Cup saw pressure mount on the former Palmeiras boss, but Gareca and Peru would turnaround their campaign to qualify for the first time since 1982.

Peru play their home matches at the 40,000 seater Estadio Nacional del Peru.

The match with Scotland is expected to be a sell-out as a raucous home support bid farewell to their heroes before they head to Russia.

A huge support was present earlier this week at the Estadio Nacional as Peru held an open training session ahead of Scotland's visit.

A Scotland side boasting talent including Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness departed for the 1978 World Cup with expectations reaching fever pitch.

But the Scots would come crashing back down to earth in their tournament opener against Peru, as the South Americans ran out 3-1 victors.

Ally MacLeod's side grabbed the lead thanks to Joe Jordan's strike, but Peru were level before half-time and in the second half would complete the turnaround.

Don Masson missed a penalty before the mercurial Teófilo Cubillas stole the show with a double that floored the Scots.

"I would like to congratulate Scotland and Mr MacLeod on the team they presented to us," said the Peru manager, Marcos Calderón, after his side's win.

"Our main fault lay in not marking Cubillas," said Macleaod after the defeat.

Aberdeen youngster Joe Macpherson was called up by Peru earlier this year.

The 17-year-old, born in Lima, was picked as one of the Under 18s two foreign-based selections for a training camp.

Macpherson has also been capped for Scotland at youth level, having turned out for Scot Gemmill's Under 17s in European Championship qualifying.

Only one Pervuian has turned out in the Scottish game at senior level, and that man is Jose Valeriani.

The midfielder joined Dundee United after extended trials 1998, but only managed one appearance for the Tangerines before returning to his homeland.