Paraguay's Argentine coach Gerardo Martino has named the 22-man La Albirroja squad for the Copa America 2007 in Venezuela.

Paraguay will welcome the return of two of their top players for the tournament. Club América striker Salvador Cabañas – top scorer of the Copa Libertadores - and national skipper and UANL Tigres defender Julio Cáceres who were not part of the Paraguay squad for the friendly matches away to Mexico and Austria prior to the tournament.

Star defender Denis ‘The Mexican’ Caniza from CF Atlas, who also missed the warm-up friendlies, has not been included in the roster by Martino after recently undergoing surgery on his left knee.

Adding to that, veteran international stars Carlos Gamarra and Jose Cardozo have both now left the squad, leaving Paraguay, seen by many as the third best team in South America, with a squad of players that have some internationally inexperienced players.

Sporting Lisbon midfielder Carlos Paredes, who is hugely experienced in international football, with 10 goals in 70 appearances for his country, was hoping to make a return to the national team, but misses the tournament.

Martino had to shed some players from the 27 he used in the pre-tournament friendlies, with Martino Rubén Maldonado from Napoli, Victor Cáceres from Libertad, Sportivo Luqueño’s Pablo Aguilar and Udinese’s José Montiel all not travelling to Venezuela.

For goals, Paraguay will be relying on the speed of Bayern Munich striker Roque Santa Cruz, who is likely to be the primary striker for La Albirroja, with support from Bayern Munich’s former Paraguay Footballer of the Year Julio dos Santos in midfield.

Paraguay squad for Copa America 2007 Finals in Venezuela:

Goalkeepers: Justo Villar (Newell's Old Boys, Argentina), Aldo Bobadilla (Boca Juniors, Argentina), Joel Zayas (Bolívar, Bolivia).

Defenders: Paulo da Silva (Toluca, México), Claudio Morel (Boca Juniors, Argentina), Julio César Cáceres (UANL Tigres, México), Darío Verón (Pumas, México), Julio Manzur (Guaraní, Paraguay), Carlos Bonet (Libertad, Paraguay), Enrique Vera (LDU Quito, Equador).

Midfielders: Edgar González (Cerro Porteño, Paraguay), Cristian Riveros (Libertad, Paraguay), Aureliano Torres (San Lorenzo, Argentina), Jonathan Santana (Wolfsburg, Germany), Edgar Barreto (NEC Nijmegen, Holland), Domingo Salcedo (Cerro Porteño, Paraguay), Julio dos Santos (Bayern Munich, Germany).

Strikers: Salvador Cabañas (Club América, México), Dante López (Crotone, Italy), Roque Santa Cruz (Bayern Munich, Germany), Oscar Cardozo (Newell's Old Boys, Argentina), Nelson Cuevas (Club América).

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