Paraguay vs Australia – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

Second place in Group D is the prize when Paraguay and Australia meet at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in the early hours of Friday morning.

The USA sealed top spot with maximum points, leaving these two sides to settle the remaining automatic qualification berth between themselves. Both hold three points — but the head-to-head tiebreaker, which takes precedence over goal difference at this tournament, means a draw sends Australia through in second.

Paraguay need a win. Defeat leaves them relying on the third-place rankings, a precarious position Gustavo Alfaro will be desperate to avoid. The Socceroos could theoretically still progress even with a loss, but Popovic will not want to leave anything to chance. This is, in all but name, a straight shootout.

Paraguay vs Australia – Match preview and team news

Team news

Paraguay

The suspension of Miguel Almirón dominates Alfaro’s selection headache. The Newcastle United forward became the first player in World Cup history to receive a red card for covering his mouth during a confrontation, his dismissal arriving just before half-time against Turkey.

He leaves a significant void — Almirón is the squad’s leading scorer with 10 international goals. Gustavo Velazquez is the likely midfield replacement, with Mauricio potentially moving into a wider attacking role. Diego Gomez overcame a knock sustained against Turkey and is expected to be available.

Australia

Popovic faces two enforced changes from the side beaten by the USA. Jacob Italiano has been ruled out with an injury sustained before this fixture, with Jason Geria the likely replacement at right wing-back. Mathew Leckie is also absent after tweaking his hamstring against the Americans.

In his absence, Nestory Irankunda — impressive against Turkey before being inexplicably dropped for the USA game — is expected to start alongside Cristian Volpato and Mohamed Touré in attack.

Form

Paraguay

Alfaro’s side have been a study in contrasts. A bruising 4–1 loss to the USA on matchday one raised doubts about their defensive resilience; a disciplined 1–0 victory over Turkey — achieved with ten men for the entire second half — silenced most of them.

Galarza struck inside two minutes to give Paraguay the lead, and the Guaraní held firm despite extended Turkish pressure. Ten of their last 12 victories have come by a single goal, which speaks to a side built on defensive organisation and efficiency rather than attacking flair.

Australia

The Socceroos showed two distinct personalities across their opening two matches. A composed 2–0 win over Turkey demonstrated their capacity to control and punish — Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe both scored in that fixture.

The subsequent 2–0 defeat to the USA was more difficult to process, with Australia struggling to create against a well-organised home side. Popovic’s decision to leave Irankunda on the bench for that game drew criticism; the Watford winger transformed the game after coming on at half-time and is almost certain to start here.

Predicted lineups

Paraguay predicted XI (4-4-2): Gill; Cáceres, G. Gómez, Alderete, Alonso; Velazquez, Cubas, D. Gómez, Galarza; Pitta, Enciso

Australia predicted XI (5-3-2): Beach; Geria, Circati, Souttar, Burgess, Bos; O’Neill, Okon-Engstler, Volpato; Touré, Irankunda

How to watch Paraguay vs Australia?

The match will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on ITV1 and ITVX.

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