Chile announced on Wednesday that right-back Mauricio Isla was notified as a close contact of a Covid-19 infected person prior to his arrival at the concentration, so he will miss the match against Paraguay valid for matchday 13 of the 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifiers.
"Being asymptomatic, with his vaccination program complete and with a negative PCR test, according to the country's health regulations, he proceeded to a 7-day isolation period from the day of contact, at a different location than our delegation under appropriate medical supervision," said the medical staff of the Chilean National Team in a statement prior to the match against Paraguay.
Furthermore, in Chile, they add that "the rest of the delegation has tested negative in the PCR test."
Chile issues statement regarding the Mauricio Isla case prior to the match with Paraguay
His absence adds to those of midfielders Charles Aránguiz and Erick Pulgar, absences that will force Uruguayan coach Martín Lasarte to modify his midfield scheme for the Chilean team.
The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder was unable to recover from a muscle injury to be available for the FIFA international match against Paraguay and Ecuador, even experiencing a setback in his recovery that forced him to return to Germany.
Erick Pulgar, on the other hand, is suspended for the match scheduled in Asunción and is doubtful to receive Ecuador in Santiago due to physical complications.
Currently, 'La Roja' is in sixth place with 13 points in twelve matches, with three victories so far in the South American qualifiers after defeating Peru, the Paraguay National Team, and Venezuela.
On the other hand, their opponent comes from a tough defeat (4-0) against Bolivia in the city of La Paz. (EFE)