Chile and Paraguay Set Their Lineups for a Crucial Qualifier

Chile and Paraguay are finalizing details for their showdown tonight in the South American Qualifiers, with both teams making adjustments to their formations.

For La Roja, the big question mark is Paulo Díaz, who suffered discomfort earlier in the week. Although tests ruled out an injury for the River Plate defender, Ricardo Gareca tried Francisco Sierralta in his place. Additionally, Felipe Loyola will start as the right-back, playing his eighth official match with the national team.

In Paraguay, Gustavo Alfaro will opt for an offensive lineup with Miguel Almirón and Julio Enciso as the main attacking threats. Ramón Sosa, one of the team's standout players, will start on the bench.

Probable lineups:

• Paraguay: Roberto Fernández; Juan José Cáceres, Fabián Balbuena, Omar Alderete, Junior Alonso; Damián Bobadilla, Mathías Villasanti, Andrés Cubas; Miguel Almirón, Julio Enciso; Antonio Sanabria.
  
• Chile: Brayan Cortés; Felipe Loyola, Francisco Sierralta or Paulo Díaz, Guillermo Maripán, Gabriel Suazo; Rodrigo Echeverría, Vicente Pizarro, Arturo Vidal; Alexander Aravena, Lucas Cepeda, Eduardo Vargas.

Chile faces this match with the urgency of securing points to keep their World Cup dreams alive. La Roja is in ninth place on the table with just 9 points, which forces them to close the gap with Bolivia, who are currently in the playoff zone with 13 points.

Paraguay, on the other hand, arrives with more confidence after a strong performance in their recent matches. The Albirroja is unbeaten in six games, with victories against Brazil, Venezuela, and Argentina, as well as draws against Ecuador and Bolivia.

• Read also: Is a miracle possible? How the Chilean national team can qualify for the World Cup