Omar Alderete Injury: Late call to face France

Alderete (knee) is a late call for Saturday's match against France, according to manager Gustavo Alfaro, per VS Sports. "He worked well [Thursday], though he didn't do any on-field work; he did undergo physically demanding training and responded well to everything he did. We'll see how he responds in today's (Friday) session-it feels like an eternity since Omar was injured, but it was actually just a week ago. We'll see-based on how he responds, how he feels, and how he reacts to the workload-whether we can have him in the starting lineup or if he'll be available as a substitute."

Alderete did not play for Paraguay in the round of 32 as he dealt with a knee injury and will once again be in question to play, as the defender has trained a bit but needs to be tested further. Unfortunately, this will leave him as a late call for the crucial match, needing to be examined ahead of match time to see how much he can play. Even if he is fit, it seems unlikely he will start, instead serving from the bench as Jose Canale starts again.