Julio Manzur has been left out of Paraguay's World Cup squad after failing to overcome a thigh injury.
The defender, who played in the 2006 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, was an expected exclusion for the trip to South Africa as he struggled with the injury, even though coach Gerardo Martino had named him in the preliminary squad.
Argentina-based quartet Eduardo Ledesma (Lanus), Marcos Caceres (Racing Club), Marcelo Estigarribia and Jorge Achucarro (both Newell's Old Boys) have also been cut from the squad, as have Libertad midfielder Sergio Aquino and Osvaldo Martinez of Mexican club Monterrey.
Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz and and Sunderland defender Paulo Da Silva are included by Martino who admitted some difficult choices had been made.
He said: "Building the list is always hard, because you feel you are taking out a very important part of each player. Some of the players already knew in their heart that they were going to be excluded. Some others didn't."
Paraguay face a friendly encounter against Greece in Switzerland on Wednesday as part of their warm-up for the tournament. In the World Cup, they will face reigning champions Italy, New Zealand and Slovakia in Group F.
Squad: Justo Villar (Real Valladolid, Spain), Aldo Bobadilla (Independiente Medellin, Colombia), Diego Barreto (Cerro Porteno); Denis Caniza (Leon, Mexico), Dario Veron (Pumas, Mexico), Julio Caceres (Atletico Mineiro, Brazil), Paulo Da Silva (Sunderland, England), Claudio Morel Rodriguez (Boca Juniors, Argentina), Antolin Alcaraz (Wigan, Eng), Carlos Bonet (Olimpia), Aureliano Torres (San Lorenzo, Argentina); Cristian Riveros (Sunderland, England), Enrique Vera (LDU Quito, Ecuador), Edgar Barreto (Atalanta, Italy), Jonathan Santana (Wolfsburg, Germany), Victor Caceres (Libertad), Nestor Ortigoza (Argentinos Juniors, Argentina); Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City, England), Nelson Haedo Valdez (Borussia Dortmund, Germany), Oscar Cardozo (Benfica, Portugal), Edgar Benitez (Pachuca, Mexico), Lucas Barrios (Borussia Dortmund, Germany), Rodolfo Gamarra (Libertad).
Source: PA
