Bielsa trims Uruguay squad ahead of Venezuela qualifier

With less than a day to go before Uruguay’s clash with Venezuela in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers, Marcelo Bielsa has made his final squad adjustments. As reported by Montevideo Portal, the Argentine manager has released six players who will not feature at all in Tuesday’s match at Estadio Centenario, which kicks off at 8:00 p.m. local time.

The players dropped from the matchday squad are Nicolás Marichal, José Luis Rodríguez, Juan Manuel Sanabria, Emiliano Martínez, Luciano Rodríguez, and Facundo Torres. Notably, both Marichal and Luciano Rodríguez had taken part in tactical sessions with the starting lineup earlier in the week, making their omission somewhat surprising.

This move mirrors Bielsa’s approach before the Paraguay match, narrowing the group to maintain tactical focus. On the positive side, Uruguay sees the return of Rodrigo Bentancur, along with defenders Sebastián Cáceres and Lucas Torreira, who has recovered from a recent virus.

Uruguay is expected to line up with Santiago Mele in goal; Nández, Araujo, Giménez, and Olivera in defense; Bentancur, Ugarte, and De Arrascaeta in midfield; and Pellistri, Aguirre, and Maximiliano Araújo in attack. With a win, La Celeste hopes to solidify its spot in the direct qualification zone.