Despite the loss of their talisman, don't expect Peru to be searching too far into their player pool to find an adequate replacement.
The South American side have arrived in Wellington after four days in Auckland ahead of Saturday afternoon's World Cup playoff against the All Whites.
The 10th ranked side in the world are without the countries' leading all-time goal scorer and captain Paolo Guerrero for both legs of the tie. The 33-year-old has been suspended for failing a dugs test.
Coach Ricardo Gareca is confident he has the depth to adjust to such a heavy loss ahead of the two biggest games in Peru's footballing history.
"Jefferson Farfan is a proven player of quality. I have trust in him to do well and to pose a threat to New Zealand," Gareca said through an interpreter.
"I am happy to have him there as a replacement for Guerrero but we have great depth up front regardless of who we choose to lead the attack.
"We always have a backup if we lose a player to say injury so this is not foreign to Peru. We deal with it and move on."
Speaking to a horde of Peruvian media who have travelled to New Zealand for the Intercontinental playoff, the Argentinian was asked how Guerrero is dealing with missing such a momentous moment.
"I had a chance to chat with Paolo before we left for New Zealand," he said.
"He is of course annoyed at the situation but at the same time he is very optimistic for Peru's chances.
"He thinks the team will do well, he has trust in this team and he knows how well this side responds to adversity."
Football pundits around the world have Peru firmly planted as favourites to get to Russia next year, but Gareca said football isn't as simple as what comes out of the mouths of reporters.
The 59-year-old stressed that he and his side have an abundance of admiration for the All Whites and what they will bring to Westpac Stadium.
"I respect the New Zealand side, yes, I respect every side we play against. You have to.
"The All Whites are a good team. Strength in all places, the whole side provides danger and quality."
La Blanquirroja were inconsistent during South America's rigorous qualifying campaign, only securing the playoff spot with a late second half goal against Colombia in their final match.
Despite wins against Uraguay and Ecuador and holding Argentina to a goalless draw, Peru were notoriously slow to get going in matches, scoring 20 of their 26 goals in the second half.
Gareca concedes that they struggled to get momentum in some of the fixtures but described that as part of the tactical battle between coaches. He expects a similar scenario to play out against the All Whites.
"I'm not worried about that.
We are happy with the way we play the whole 90 minutes.
"Yes we have a great goal scoring record in the second half but that is football.
"It can take time to adjust to an opponent's strategy and I believe we are well equipped in that area."
Gareca will be hopeful his side can take a lead back to Lima for next week's second leg but isn't looking past the opening whistle on Saturday, in foreign conditions.
"We see both games as important as each other. The games will be different but we take this game first and then the second leg we can focus on after that.
"Yes, we have been told about the wind. Traditionally Peru plays the ball at the feet so I don't see that as a major problem and the wind will affect both teams, not just Peru."
Gareca has been taken a-back by the welcome his side have received on arrival to New Zealand from both sides of supporters.
"I want to take this opportunity to thank New Zealand for how we have been received here and how we have been treated in general.
"We are ready and we will bring all the fans' expectations to fruition. We want to thank our fans who said farewell to us in Peru and then the locals who welcomed us to Auckland and Wellington.
"It has been just incredible."
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