Montevideo (AFP) – Uruguay’s top scorer, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, will miss the tripartite World Cup qualifiers scheduled for Thursday in Peru.
Suarez has been ruled out due to a left knee injury in the match he played with Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
The Spanish club reported, on Monday, that the historic scorer of the La Celeste team suffers from mild edema in the back of the knee. After scoring the first goal on a mattress, Suarez was forced to retire 20 minutes from the end of the 2-2 draw against Villarreal.
The Uruguayan Football Association reported, on Sunday evening, that Cavani was dissatisfied with the three eligible commitments that were heading to the Qatar World Cup 2022. The absence of the Manchester United striker is attributed to the COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the English Premier League on the players of the national team. They are on the UK’s Red List and will have to work in a 10-day quarantine upon returning to the country.
“In accordance with the state of public knowledge that has occurred to players from England, I have decided to cancel the invitation of footballer Edinson Cavani,” the Confederation of African Football said.
As for Suarez, Atletico added that the player will undergo medical treatment and physiotherapy during the week and put him in a “suspended development” with the aim of facing Espanyol when the local championship resumes after the FIFA date.
In addition to the two artillery casualties, the Uruguayan team also lost defender Sebastian Coates (Sporting Lisbon) due to inflammation in his right knee.
After learning about the losses of Suarez and Coates, coach Oscar Washington Tabarez called up two strikers from the local media on Sunday: Agustin Alvarez (Pinarol) and Federico Martinez (Liverpool). It also included the veteran winger Martin Caceres.
After facing Peru in Lima on Thursday, Uruguay will play two matches at home, against Bolivia on Sunday 5 September and against Ecuador on Thursday 9 September.
