Cerro Porteño faces not only challenges on the field but also uncertainties in the medical department. In recent days, an apparent contradiction has formed around left-back Blas Riveros, 28. While the player posts videos training with the ball and is included in coach Gustavo Alfaro's preliminary list for the 2026 World Cup, the azulgrana manager, Ariel Holan, has put a brake on expectations of his imminent return.
Asked about the possibility of Riveros getting minutes in training and joining the squad that will face Palmeiras in the fifth round of the Copa Libertadores group stage, Holan was direct: "In the last press conference, I said that maybe he was the closest, but I don't see him managing to arrive, and I don't know if he will manage to arrive for the last match of the championship, of what remains." The statement refers both to Wednesday's duel against Palmeiras and to the last round of the Apertura 2026, against Rubio Ñu.
The situation of the left-back, formed at Olimpia, is complex. His last match with significant playing time was on January 28, when he played 64 minutes in Ciclón's victory over Sportivo San Lorenzo at Deportivo Capiatá, where he also scored a goal. The breaking point occurred on February 21, in the Superclásico against Olimpia at La Nueva Olla, under the command of Jorge Bava. Riveros entered the field but had to be substituted after just 10 minutes due to an injury. Since then, he has not played professionally again.
The contrast between Holan's cautious speech and the athlete's optimistic posts on social media — where he appears doing individual work with the ball — raised alerts, especially less than a month before the start of the World Cup. Gustavo Alfaro, who included Riveros in the World Cup preliminary list despite the long inactivity, now sees the left-back's participation threatened by the lack of match rhythm.