MONTEVIDEO: Uruguay’s record goalscorer Luis Suarez on Monday received his first call-up under new coach Marcelo Bielsa who named the 36-year-old in his squad to face Argentina this week in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Suarez, with 68 international goals to his name, has been in superb form for Brazilian club Gremio with 16 goals in 29 games but has not featured for Uruguay since Bielsa took over in May.
Thursday’s match against Argentina will be his first for the national team since they were eliminated from the World Cup in Qatar in the group stages last year.
Edinson Cavani, who has 58 international goals to his name, was left out after picking up an injury playing for Boca Juniors.
If he plays, Suarez is likely to come up against his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi who scored both goals in the qualifier against Peru last month that ended 2-0.
Argentina have won all four of their qualifiers so far, topping the table with 12 points, five clear of Venezuela, Brazil and Uruguay.
Six teams from the continent will qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026 hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US.
