Heat will be to Paraguay’s advantage against France, says coach
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 32 – Germany v Paraguay – Boston Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, U.S. – June 29, 2026 Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro before the match REUTERS/Peter Cziborra
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PHILADELPHIA, July 3 : Paraguay manager Gustavo Alfaro suggested the extreme heat predicted for Saturday’s World Cup round-of-16 match against heavily favoured France could help his side, but only so much.
High temperatures around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) with significant humidity are forecast for the Mid-Atlantic city, with the highs coming an hour or two before the 5 p.m. ET scheduled kickoff.
Paraguay play their home qualifiers in the capital of Asuncion, where average summer highs rise into the low 90s.
“We are used to the heat. Yes, we are,” Alfaro said on Friday. “However, you suffer the heat. What knockout match do you have in Paraguay at five in the afternoon? None. Maybe it happened once and there was a defeat. You don’t play at that time.”
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He also noted it wouldn’t be the same as Mexico’s advantage playing at high altitude, conditions that Mexico have trained in for weeks.
“Even though you might have this memory, physical memory of understanding what happens with high altitude (or) what happens with heat, it’s different from what happens when you’re there,” he said.
“But the heat will affect both teams. And high altitude affects both teams, yes. But those that have a slight advantage are the ones that were able to prepare in that situation.”
Paraguay pulled off their round-of-32 shock over Germany without centre back Omar Alderete, who picked up a knee injury in their final group-stage match against Australia.
Alfaro said Alderete has not yet returned to full team training, but did not rule him out.
“Omar worked well yesterday, but he didn’t do anything on the field,” Alfaro said. “He did tough physical work. He responded well to the work. We’ll see today at our training to see how he responds…
“Let’s see if he can start or if he can come in later. He wants to be there. He’s told me, ‘Coach, I don’t want to miss this game.’”
Even though Monday’s triumph over Germany was celebrated with a national holiday, veteran Paraguay defender Junior Alonso insisted there would be no let-down in preparations to face Les Bleus.
“We have worked so hard, we have made so many sacrifices at the professional level, at the personal level, because our dream was to have Paraguay in a World Cup,” he said.
“So whether we have lost or not against Germany, it wouldn’t have meant a defeat to us because we did everything humanly possible to obtain that result and we were able to achieve that. And in this case, in the match against France, it won’t be different because we have the same mindset.
“We know what we are capable of. And the only thing that we could promise to the Paraguayan people is that we are going to give it all. Hopefully, God will be on our side and we will get the result that we want.”
(Editing by Christian Radnedge)
Source: Reuters
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