Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino on Tuesday named his 30-man preliminary squad for the World Cup, replacing Salvador Cabanas with forward Lucas Barrios.
Cabanas, who has been ruled out of the World Cup, is staging a miraculous recovery after being shot in the head at point-blank range 3 1/2 months ago in a Mexico City bar.
Paraguay named its preliminary squad almost a week ahead of the May 11 deadline. The final 23-man squad is due June 1. Paraguay faces defending World Cup champion Italy, Slovakia and New Zealand in Group F.
Cabanas, who was playing for Mexico Club America when he was shot, was expected to have been Paraguay's top attacking player.
Barrios is getting his first call-up for Paraguay. The 25-year-old striker was born in Argentina and plays in Germany with Borussia Dortmund. He has scored 18 goals for his club this season.
"I got my Paraguay nationality in March because my mother was born in Paraguay," he said Tuesday in a radio interview. "I want to thank everyone who has had confidence in me and I hope to fit it well with my new teammates."
Paraguay has four friendly matches before the World Cup: North Korea on May 15 in Switzerland; Ireland on May 25 in Dublin; Ivory Coast on May 30 in France; and Greece on June 2 in Switzerland.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Justo Villar (Valladolid), Aldo Bobadilla (Independiente Medellin), Diego Barreto (Cerro Porteno).
Defenders: Denis Caniza (Leon, Mexico), Dario Veron (Pumas), Julio Cesar Caceres (Atletico Mineiro), Paulo Da Silva (Sunderland), Antolin Alcaraz (Brugge), Claudio Morel (Boca Juniors), Carlos Bonet (Olimpia, Paraguay), Julio Manzur (Olimpia, Paraguay), Aureliano Torres (San Lorenzo).
Midfielders: Enrique Vera (Liga de Quito), Cristian Riveros (Cruz Azul), Jonathan Santana (Wolfsburg) Nestor Ortigoza (Argentinos Juniors), Victor Caceres (Libertad), Edgar Barreto (Atalanta), Marcelo Estigarribia (Newell's Old Boys), Eduardo Ledesma (Lanus), Sergio Aquino (Libertad), Marcos Caceres (Racing Club, Argentina).
Forwards: Oscar Cardozo (Benfica), Nelson Haedo Valdez (Borussia Dortmund), Lucas Barrios (Borussia Dortmund), Osvaldo Martinez (Monterrey), Edgar Benitez (Pachuca), Jorge Achucarro (Newell's Old Boys), Rodolfo Gamarra (Libertad), Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City).
