Villareal striker Diego Forlan has been included in a 27-man squad named by Uruguay coach Jorge Fossati, for the two-leg World Cup play-off against Australia. His inclusion came despite his club insisting last week that it was unlikely he could play.

The ex-Manchester United player will now be available for the games in Montevideo on Saturday and Sydney on November 16. However, last Friday Villarreal had predicted a lay-off of up to three weeks following a scan revealed Forlan had torn a muscle in his left leg during their 1-0 victory against Benfica in the Champions League two days earlier.

The news will come as a relief for Uruguay. They had already lost star striker Javier Chevanton, following his bust-up with Fossati, and the loss of another experienced goal scorer could have proved critical.

Speaking to the Uruguayan media, Forlan expressed confidence in being available for Saturday’s clash. "Fortunately, I'm not feeling any pain," he said. "I can walk normally, without problems, and everything makes me think I could be ready for Saturday's meeting."

Meanwhile, Chevanton said it would be unlikely that he would play again for the national side while Fossati was in charge. Despite the coach saying later that he would excuse Chevanton's comments, he was still omitted from the squad.

Uruguay squad:

Goalkeepers: Fabian Carini (Cagliari), Sebastian Viera (Villareal), Sergio Navarro (Miramar Misiones)

Defenders: Paolo Montero (San Lorenzo), Diego Lopez (Cagliari), Alejandro Lago (Rosenborg), Diego Lugano (Sao Paulo), Dario Rodríguez (Schalke 04), Guillermo Rodriguez (Atlas), Carlos Diogo (Real Madrid)

Midfielders: Omar Pouso (Danubio), Pablo Garcia (Real Madrid), Gonzalo De Los Santos (Valencia), Oscar Javier Morales (Valladolid), Diego Perez (Monaco), Marcelo Sosa (Osasuna), Gustavo Varela (Schalke 04), Alvaro Recoba (Inter Milan), Martin Parodi (Al Alhi)

Forwards: Marcelo Zalayeta (Juventus), Diego Forlan (Villarreal), Fabian Estoyanoff (Cadiz), Richard Morales (Malaga), Richard Nunez (Cruz Azul), Mario Regueiro (Valencia), Vicente Sanchez (Toluca), Dario Silva (Portsmouth)

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