Paraguay

After their debut in 1930, the squad went through a hard time from 1962 to 1982 when they failed to enter the finals. The present team is full of fresh talent but they need to prepare for a tough battle against Group team England.

FIFA world ranking	33
Coach	Anibal Maño Ruiz
Group B	England, Paraguay, Sweden, Trinidad & Tobago
Previous appearances	6 times
Key player	Nelson Valdez
Odds	80/1

Paraguay's debuted in the World Cup way back in 1930, and since then they have made their appearance six times. For two consecutive times, the team had to suffer defeats in the second round even if by a narrow margin of 1-0.

The team faced a rough patch when it failed to enter the tournament for six straight times during 1962 to 1982.

In 1998, their talented goalkeeper captain, Jose Luis Chilavert, led Paraguay to goalless draws against Bulgaria and Spain and a victory over Nigeria.

At present, Justo Villar tries to emulate the talent of Chilavert, while Carlos Gamarra is leading the back line in style.

Despite the young talents in the team, they need to prepare them for a tough battle against group opponent, England.

COMPLETE SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Justo Villar, Derlis Gomez, Aldo Bobadilla

Defenders: Denis Caniza, Carlos Gamarra, Julio Cesar Caceres, Delio Toledo, Paulo Da Silva, Julio Manzur, Jorge Nunez

Midfielders: Edgar Barreto, Roberto Acuna, Carlos Humberto Paredes, Julio Dos Santos, Christian Riveros, Carlos Bonet, Jose Montiel, Diego Gavilan

Forwards: Roque Santa Cruz, Nelson Haedo Valdez, Jose Cardozo, Salvador Cabanas, Nelson Cuevas.