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Star players Nelson Haedo Valdez (73/13) and Justo Villar (112/0) are back in Paraguay squad as coach Ramon Diaz named his roster for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers vs Peru and Bolivia.
The two veterans missed the opening qualifiers against Venezuela and Argentina, where La Albirroja impressed to pick up four points.
They can now make another important step towards the tournament finals with good results in matches against Peru and Bolivia, taking place on 13 November and 17 November respectively.
And while the return of two star players is hardly a surprise, the inclusion of Newell’s midfielder Raul Hernan Villalba certainly falls into that category.
The 26-year-old footballer was born in Argentina, but he has decided to represent Paraguay at international level and now gets an opportunity to win his first cap.
Meanwhile, Ramon Diaz has failed to convince AS Roma starlet Juan Manuel Iturbe to do the same, but the talented forward has an open invitation to switch his allegiance to La Albirroja.
AZ Alkmaar midfielder Celso Ortiz (7/0) is back, while home-based players Jonathan Santana (32/1) and Juan Gabriel Patino (1/0) are included as well.
Paraguay squad:
Arqueros: Justo Villar (Colo Colo), Antony Silva (Independiente Medellín), Alfredo Aguilar (Guaraní);
Defensores: Iván Piris (Udinese), Juan Patiño (Guaraní), Bruno Valdez (Cerro Porteño), Paulo Da Silva (Toluca), Pablo Aguilar (América), Gustavo Gómez (Lanús), Miguel Samudio (América);
Volantes: Víctor Cáceres (Al-Rayyan), Rodrigo Rojas (Cerro Porteño), Jonathan Santana (Cerro Porteño), Jonathan Fabbro (Cerro Porteño), Richard Ortiz (Libertad), Celso Ortiz (AZ Alkmaar), Óscar Romero (Racing), Hernán Villalba (Newell’s Old Boys);
Atacantes: Derlis González (Dinamo de Kiev), Hernán Pérez (Espanyol), Raúl Bobadilla (Augsburgo), Darío Lezcano (Luzern), Nelson Haedo (Seattle Sounders), Lucas Barrios (Palmeiras), Édgar Benítez (Querétaro).
