Paraguay have qualified for six previous World Cup Finals, but have never been past the last 16.

They fell at that stage 1-0 in the two previous tournaments to teams who went on to reach the final - champions France in 1998 and Germany in 2002.

Star striker Roque Santa Cruz was a major injury doubt after suffering knee ligament damage last season but he insists he is now fully fit, while one of the few other recognisable names in the squad, Diego Gavilan, did not have a happy spell at Newcastle.

Midfielders Julio Dos Santos and Edgar Barreto were part of the Olympic squad which claimed a silver medal in Athens in 2004.

Coach: Anibal Ruiz
One to watch: Nelson Valdez
World ranking: 33
Previous tournaments: 6
Best finish: Second round (1986, 1998, 2002)

Squad:

Player Club
Justo Villar

Newell's Old Boys (Argentina)
Aldo Bobadilla Libertad
Derlis Gomez Sportivo Luqueno
Denis Caniza Unattached
Carlos Gamarra Palmeiras (Brazil)
Julio Cesar Caceres River Plate (Argentina)
Delio Toldeo Real Zaragoza (Spain)
Paulo Da Silva Toluca
Julio Cesar Mansur Guarani
Jorge Nunez Estudiantes
Edgar Barreto NEC Nijmegen
Roverto Acuna Deportivo La Coruna
Carlos Humberto Paredes Reggina (Italy)
Julio Dos Santos Bayern Munich (Germany)
Cristian Riveros Libertad
Carlos Bonet Libertad
Jose Montiel Olimpia
Diego Gavilan Newell's Old Boys (Argentina)
Roque Santa Cruz Bayern Munich (Germany)
Nelson Haedo Valdez Werder Bremen (Germany)
Dante Lopez Genoa (Italy)
Salvador Cabanas Jaguares
Nelson Cuevas Pachuca

Fixtures:

Group B

Match

Date

Teams

Venue

Time

3

10 June

England v Paraguay

Frankfurt

2pm

4

10 June

Trin. & Tob. v Sweden

Dortmund

5pm

19

15 June

England v Trin. & Tob.

Nuremberg

5pm

20

15 June

Sweden v Paraguay

Berlin

8pm

35

20 June

Sweden v England

Cologne

8pm

36

20 June

Paraguay v Trin. & Tob.

Kaiserslautern

8pm