Fabián Balbuena joined the national team of Paraguay, while Guillermo Varela made it to the preliminary squad of Uruguay national team for the first time since the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The teams will face each other on January 27 in Asunción. After that fixture, the Paraguayans will play away against Brazil (February 1 in Belo Horizonte), while the Uruguayans will host Venezuela (February 1 in Montevideo).
After 14 rounds, the Guaraníes are ninth in the South American qualification with 13 points, and the Sky Blue takes the seventh place with 16 points. The four best national teams will advance to the FIFA World Cup final tournament, and the fifth will take part in intercontinental play-off matches.