Uruguay can win without Godin – Tabarez

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez is confident his side can cope without captain Diego Godin in Saturday’s clash against Paraguay.

The defending champions beat Jamaica 1-0 in their opening game before losing 1-0 to Argentina, to sit third in Group B and needing a win against Paraguay to guarantee their last-eight spot.

Godin misses out through suspension for Saturday’s game after picking up his second booking of the tournament against Argentina on Tuesday.

“How will we replace him? Using the squad we brought with us,” Tabarez said on Friday.

“It will be a young centre-back pairing, but luckily it’s not the first time this has happened to us. When we played against Colombia and beat them in Montevideo, Godin was also suspended.

“We have to place our confidence in the players coming in and that’s how you make history. Footballers don’t only evolve because of the amount of games they play, but also with the important matches in which they are involved.

“And for us, this match is a final.”

Although Uruguay against Paraguay is not necessarily considered one of the continent’s glamour fixtures, it is a repeat of the 2011 final in Argentina.

“I don’t want to use the word revenge,” Tabarez added. “But for Paraguay it is an opportunity to look for a different result this time. They were outclassed in football terms in that match, but they played with dignity in the final.

“A while ago we were watching the match. There were some good things and we gave a good account of ourselves, but this is a different game. We are in a transitional phase now.”