FIFA World Cup qualifiers: Bolivia aims to defeat Paraguay with one forward

The Bolivian national football team during training

La Paz - Bolivia’s national football team will go up against Paraguay with a pared down squad featuring just one forward, when they play each other on Friday in Asuncion as part of the South American qualifying tournament for the 2014 Brazil World Cup.

The squad, which includes three defenders, two full-backs and four midfielders, will employ the same strategy coach Xabier Azkargorta used in a friendly match against Venezuela that ended in a 2-2 tie, and a match against Chile in the qualifying tournament, reports Xinhua.

“In terms of structure, there won’t be many differences in game style, with the match against Venezuela in the last friendly,” Azkargorta said Tuesday.

Bolivia’s lineup was completed on Tuesday with the arrival of goalkeeper Ronald Raldes, forward Marcelo Martins Moreno and midfielder Jose Luiz Chavez, who will probably play against Paraguay on Friday and against Ecuador Sep 10 in La Paz.

Raldes plays for Argentina’s Colon Santa Fe, Martins for Brazil’s Flamengo and Chavez for Mexico’s Atlas.

The three players joined the 26-member team two days before the trip to Asuncion and three days before the game in the 15th day of the qualifying tournament.

On Thursday, 20 Bolivian players will travel to the Paraguayan capital and the rest will stay in La Paz to continue training for the Sep 10 match against Ecuador.

The technical team is carefully working out the final line-up, since nine players already have a yellow card, meaning that if they get a second, they will automatically have to sit out the next match, which will be an important final game here.

“We have to take into account that there are various options, but also that there are nine players with warnings, and that we have to think well,” said Azkargorta.

“For example, Cardozo and Martins are in danger (of being benched), but they have been playing in several matches, so I don’t have to say much about that. I’m going to think it over some more,” he said.

Bolivia, with 10 points, is in next-to-last place in the qualifying tournament, while Paraguay is in last place with eight points. Both are far from being able to qualify for fifth place, which would allow them to play against an Asian team for the possibility of winning a ticket to Brazil 2014.

The top four teams of the South American qualifying tournament automatically advance to the World Cup.

Argentina leads the tournament with 26 points, followed by Colombia (23), Ecuador (21), Chile (21), Uruguay (16), Venezuela (16), Peru (14), Bolivia (10) and Paraguay (8).