Suarez, Cavani headline Uruguay's provisional World Cup squad

Montevideo: Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez included star strikers Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Forlan in a provisional 25-man squad for the FIFA World Cup to be held in Brazil.

Liverpool defender Sebastian Coates and Southampton midfielder Gaston Ramirez were also named in the squad which will be cut to 23 by June 2, reports Xinhua.

Suarez scored 31 Premier League goals for Liverpool this season while Paris Saint-Germain’s Cavani netted 16 times in Ligue 1. Player of the 2010 World Cup, Forlan has also been in prolific goalscoring form since joining Japan’s Cerezo Osaka in January.

The 2010 edition semifinalists have been drawn in Group D alongside Costa Rica, England and Italy for the June 12-July 13 tournament.

The squad:

Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray), Martin Silva (Vasco da Gama), Rodrigo Munoz (Libertad)

Defenders: Maximiliano Pereira (Benfica), Diego Lugano (West Bromwich Albion), Diego Godin, Jose Maria Gimenez (both Atletico Madrid), Sebastian Coates (Liverpool), Martin Caceres (Juventus), Jorge Fucile (Porto)

Midfielders: Alejandro Silva (Lanus), Alvaro Gonzalez (Lazio), Alvaro Pereira (Sao Paulo), Walter Gargano (Parma), Egidio Arevalo Rios (Morelia), Diego Perez (Bologna), Sebastian Eguren (Palmeiras), Cristian Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid), Gaston Ramirez (Southampton), Nicolas Lodeiro (Botafogo)

Forwards: Luis Suarez (Liverpool), Edinson Cavani (Paris St. Germain), Abel Hernandez (Palermo), Diego Forlan (Cerezo Osaka), Christian Stuani (Espanyol).

IANS