Paraguay
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Age: 31
Position: Forward
Country: Ecuador
Caps: 67
Goals: 29
Club: Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito
Previous clubs: El Nacional, Bacelona de Guayaquil, Necaxa, Southampton, Aucas
Estimated 'Chelsea-target' value: £1 million. |  |
Friday, 12, May 2006 03:37
Paraguay qualified for the 2006 World Cup by finishing fourth in South America's mammoth 18-game qualifying tournament. Highlights included a 0-0 against Brazil and a 1-0 win and 0-0 draw against Argentina. They were undefeated at home until the irrelevant last game (when they had already qualified). Heavy defeats on the road to Ecuador (5-2) and Brazil (4-1) were the only blots on the record. Drawn against England, Sweden, and Trinidad and Tobago they have a good chance of qualifying for the second round.
Group B fixtures
England - June 10th, 1400 BST, Frankfurt
Sweden - June 15th, 2000 BST, Berlin
Trinidad & Tobago - June 20th, 2000 BST, Kaiserslautern
World Cup history
Paraguay have been mixing it with the best for as long as England. First appearing in the 1950 World Cup, before re-surfacing in 1958 for their first win at this level (3-2 over Scotland - no laughing at the back). They were then absent until 1986, when they reached the second round only to lose 3-0 to England. Back again in 1998, they eased through the group stages before losing to Laurent Blanc's golden goal for France in the second round, they reached the second round again in 2002 - only to lose 1-0 to eventual finalists Germany.
The man in charge
Another team in Group B with a foreign coach, Uruguayan Anibal Ruiz has been in charge of Paraguay since the last World Cup. Might have to do some more research on his opponents, as he believes "Paul Scholes and Roy Keane" are England's best players - both have retired from international football, although Keane's departure bothered England fans less. But then, most Brits think penalty and free-kick taking keeper Jose Luis Chilavert is the best Paraguay have to offer (also retired).
Team forte
A tight, organised defence and former child prodigy and sometime punk rocker Roque Santa Cruz. They can play the short and long passing game and their record against Brazil (who they beat 2-1 in the 2004 Copa America) and Argentina means they are not the pushovers many in the British tabloid press assume they are.
Achilles heel
A poor record away from home and the fact the Santa Cruz has an injury-record as good as Owen's (he's been out since November). I would add a lack of knowledge of the English game, but Newcastle makeweight Diego Gavilan will hopefully fill his coach in on Sven's men before June 10th, and their captain said of England: "They've got those strikers you see on telly, Owen and Rooney."
Likelihood of England match-up
Stake the mortgage on it. Previous encounters have resulted in 3-0 (1986 World Cup) and 4-0 (Friendly in April 2002) wins for England. Slim possibility of meeting them later on again - provided both teams get out of the group and then progress to the final or the 3rd/4th play-off.
Player to watch
If he's fit and firing, Santa Cruz. If he's not, watch Carlos Gamarra - Paraguay's captain, centre-half, and record cap winner (with 104) whose past clubs include Athletico Madrid, AEK Athens and Inter Milan. He made the 1998 World Cup dream team.
Least likely thing to hear from the terraces
Acoustic versions of Ich Roque (I Rock) - German rock band Sportfreunde Stiller's puntastic tribute to Mr Santa Cruz, who also sings on the track.
Chances of victory
Slim. They don't have the firepower to mount a serious challenge and their centre backs are aging. Although, if 23-year-old Julio Dos Santos (who plays with Santa Cruz at Bayern Munich and is seen by many as the long-term successor to Chelsea-bound German captain Michael Ballack) hits form and Santa Cruz stays fit, don't rule out a charge to the quarter-finals. Silver in the 2004 Olympic Games shows that Paraguay are nobody's whipping boys.
Squad:
1 GK VILLAR Justo - (Newells Old Boys, ARG)
2 DF NUNEZ Jorge - (Estudiantes, ARG)
3 DF TOLEDO Delio - (Zaragoza, ESP)
4 DF GAMARRA Carlos - (Palmeiras, BRA)
5 DF CACERES Julio Cesar - (River Plate, ARG)
6 MF BONET Carlos - (Libertad, PAR)
7 MF CABANAS Salvador - (Jaguares Chiapas, MEX)
8 MF BARRETO Edgar - (NEC Nijmegen, NED)
9 FW SANTA CRUZ Roque - (Bayern Munich, GER)
10 MF ACUNA Roberto - (Deportivo La Coruna, ESP)
11 MF GAVILAN Diego - (Newells Old Boys, ARG)
12 GK GOMEZ Derlis - (Sportivo Luqueno, PAR)
13 MF PAREDES Carlos - (Reggina, ITA)
14 DF DA SILVA Paulo - (Toluca, MEX)
15 DF MANZUR Julio - (Santos, BRA)
16 MF RIVEROS Cristian - (Libertad, PAR)
17 MF MONTIEL Jose - (Olimpia Asuncion, PAR)
18 FW VALDEZ Nelson - (Werder Bremen, GER)
19 MF DOS SANTOS Julio - (Bayern Munich, GER)
20 FW CARDOZO Jose - (no club affiliation)
21 DF CANIZA Denis - (Cruz Azul, MEX)
22 GK BOBADILLA Aldo - (Libertad, PAR)
23 FW CUEVAS Nelson - (Pachuca, MEX)
James Andrews