Suarez in, Cavani out for Uruguay World Cup qualifiers

Montevideo, Uruguay | XINHUA |    Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez was Friday among seven Spain-based players named in Uruguay’s squad for World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Ecuador.

Head coach Oscar Tabarez also included Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde, Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo, Valencia’s Maxi Gomez, Girona’s Cristhian Stuani and Getafe pair Damian Suarez and Mauro Arambarri in his 23-man squad.

As expected, there was no place for striker Edinson Cavani, who has yet to find a new club after leaving Paris Saint-Germain in June. The 33-year-old has not played since March.

Also missing were injured Galatasaray goalkeeper Fernando Muslera and Atletico Madrid defender Jose Gimenez, who contracted the coronavirus.

The South American zone 2022 World Cup qualifiers were scheduled to begin in late March before being suspended because of the global health crisis.

Uruguay will face Chile in Montevideo on October 8 before meeting Ecuador in Quito five days later.

Following is the Uruguay squad:

Goalkeepers: Rodrigo Munoz (Cerro Porteno), Martin Silva (Libertad) and Martin Campana (Al Batin).

Defenders: Diego Godin (Cagliari), Sebastian Coates (Sporting Lisbon), Ronald Araujo (Barcelona), Martin Caceres (Fiorentina), Damian Suarez (Getafe), Matias Vina (Palmeiras) and Agustin Oliveros (Nacional).

Midfielders: Nahitan Nandez (Cagliari), Lucas Torreira (Arsenal), Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus), , Mauro Arambarri (Getafe), Nicolas de la Cruz (River Plate), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Flamengo) and Brian Rodriguez (Los Angeles FC).

Forwards: Jonathan Rodriguez (Cruz Azul), Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid), Cristhian Stuani (Girona), Maxi Gomez (Valencia) and Darwin Nunez (Benfica).

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XINHUA