Villasanti stays at Grêmio as Balbuena joins Paraguay camp, World Cup call-up not ruled out | OneFootball

Fabian Balbuena has reported to Paraguay’s camp for the World Cup, while Villasanti remains in training with Grêmio.

According to Globo.com, official images on Wednesday showed the Grêmio defender joining sessions at the High Performance Centre in Ypané, near Asunción. He is nearing the end of recovery from a grade one injury to his right thigh and is not considered a concern for the tournament. The final Paraguay squad is due on Monday, before a friendly with Nicaragua on Friday at Defensores del Chaco.

Villasanti’s call-up has not been ruled out, and his chances are regarded as strong. He retains the confidence of head coach Gustavo Alfaro, who has monitored his progress after a serious left-knee injury sustained last August.

Villasanti hopes to get minutes for Grêmio against Corinthians on Saturday at the Arena. After 279 days out, he was named against Santos last weekend but stayed on the bench.

He was omitted from Tuesday’s Sudamericana meeting with City Torque, despite believing he could play, as head coach Luís Castro chose not to include him.

He pushed to return before the World Cup after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament and injuring the meniscus on 17 August 2025 against Atlético-MG at the Arena MRV in Minas Gerais. He resumed training in March under physiotherapy supervision, with ball work intensifying from May.

Source: Globo.com