MONTEVIDEO – Uruguay striker Luis Suárez is set to play his first competitive international later this month since being banned for biting an opponent at the 2014 World Cup after he was called up on Friday for qualifiers against Brazil and Peru.
Barcelona’s Suárez was suspended for nine games after biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup in Brazil.
He was among 28 players named in Óscar Tabárez’s squad to face Brazil away in Recife on March 25 and Peru in Montevideo four days later, the Uruguayan FA announced on Friday.
Uncapped Genoa midfielder Diego Laxalt and Manchester United right back Guillermo Varela were called up for the first time.
The Uruguayan FA shared an image of those selected to take part of the qualifiers with Suárez at last available for selection.
#Eliminatorias | Futbolistas reservados del exterior para los partidos de @Uruguay ante Brasil (25/3) y Perú (29/3). pic.twitter.com/1OQW2GN1xW
— Selección Uruguaya (@Uruguay) March 4, 2016
Uruguay are second in the 10-team South American standings behind Ecuador with three wins in four games.
The top four qualify automatically for the 2018 finals in Russia while the fifth-placed team goes into an intercontinental playoff against a team from the Oceania zone.
