Gimenez benched, Araujo not in squad as Uruguay take on Saudi Arabia (opens original article in a new tab)

Uruguay's coach Marcelo Bielsa excluded veteran defender Jose Maria Gimenez and Barcelona's Ronald Araujo from the World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia, with Gimenez recovering from an injury and Araujo sidelined by a muscle tear.

• Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez was benched for the World Cup Group H opener against Saudi Arabia despite recovering from an ankle injury.
• Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo was excluded from the squad due to a muscle tear sustained during training.
• Uruguay's starting defense featured Sebastian Caceres and Mathias Olivera, while the midfield included Manuel Ugarte, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Federico Valverde.