We're still a little more than a week away from our official predictions for the 2010 World Cup but I'll tip my hand a little bit here for Group F: I like Paraguay.
Other than Italy and Paraguay, Group F is rounded out by New Zealand and Slovakia, two of the weaker teams in the whole 32-team field.
As Paraguay unveiled their final 23-man roster today, they are headlined by the Premier League quartet of Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City), Antolin Alcaraz (Wigan), Cristian Riveros (Sunderland) and Paulo Da Silva (Sunderland).
Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino announced that the four players are part of the squad after reducing the 30-man initial party to the official 23 which will travel to South Africa. Martino told reporters that it was not an easy choice to make.
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.''
Argentina-based quartet Eduardo Ledesma (Lanus), Marcos Caceres (Racing Club), Marcelo Estigarribia and Jorge Achucarro (both Newell's Old Boys) have been cut from the squad, as have Libertad midfielder Sergio Aquino, Osvaldo Martinez of Mexican club Monterrey and Olimpia defender Julio Manzur.
Manzur, who played in the 2006 World Cup for Paraguay, was an expected exclusion as he has been struggling with a thigh injury, even though Martino had named him in the preliminary squad.
Full Paraguay 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).
If you're going to be in Las Vegas the next few weeks, put some money down on Paraguay to make it out of Group F. I was just in Vegas for a bachelor party last weekend and while I put money down on Argentina, Portugal and the US to win it all at the MGM Grand sportsbook, I'm kicking myself for not becoming a complete degenerate and making about 20 more bets. Oh well, hopefully you'll learn from my gambling mistakes.
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