The Paraguayan national team is preparing for its farewell friendly against Nicaragua, scheduled for this Friday at the Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asunción, kicking off at 7:15 p.m. The match will be the fans' last chance to show their support before La Albirroja departs for the World Cup in North America, following a 16-year absence from the tournament.
Head coach Gustavo Alfaro is working on the final adjustments to the squad and is already testing a probable starting lineup for the match. Goalkeeper Orlando Gill is expected to start between the posts. The main question mark in midfield comes down to the battle between Gustavo Caballero, Maurício, and Ramón Sosa for Damián Bobadilla's spot.
The probable lineup is: Orlando Gill; Juan Cáceres, Gustavo Gómez, Omar Alderete, Junior Alonso; Caballero, Maurício or Sosa, Diego Gómez, Andrés Cubas, Miguel Almirón; Julio Enciso and Tony Sanabria.
The goalkeeper position, however, remains the biggest unknown in the squad selection. Three goalkeepers are included in the final 26-man roster: Roberto Junior "Gatito" Fernández, Orlando Gill, and Gastón Olveira. Gatito Fernández, who was the starting keeper for much of the qualifiers, has gone months without playing for Cerro Porteño, where he appeared in just three of the 22 Apertura tournament matches. His last appearance for the national team was the goalless draw against Ecuador on September 4, 2025, and his last friendly was the 2-2 draw with Japan on October 10, 2025.
Orlando Gill earned his spot thanks to strong performances in goal for San Lorenzo de Almagro. He made his qualifying debut in the final round, in the win over Peru in Lima on September 9, 2025, and was selected for all three friendlies in 2025, against South Korea, the United States, and Mexico. His most recent outing was in the warm-up match against Morocco in late March 2026, a 2-1 defeat.
Gastón Olveira, a naturalized Paraguayan international born in Uruguay, was called up for the last two FIFA international window friendlies this year and featured in the match against Greece, a 1-0 victory. His strong performances in goal for Olimpia secured his inclusion in Alfaro's 26-man World Cup squad. Also part of the preparation process were Carlos Miguel Coronel, who earned six caps, Santiago Rojas, and Juan Espínola.