17.05.2014 20:45 h

Football: Sampaoli drops three from Chile squad

Arturo Vidal wordt geknuffeld door zijn teamgenoten.
Arturo Vidal wordt geknuffeld door zijn teamgenoten.

Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli on Saturday dropped three players from his 30-man World Cup squad with strikers Gustavo Canales and Estaban Paredes and defender Enzo Andia not making the cut.

Sampaoli, an Argentine, must whittle his list down to a final 23 by June 2, before Chile head to Brazil, where they will be in Group B along with defending champions Spain, the Netherlands and Australia.

Arturo Vidal of Juventus and Alexis Sanchez of Barcelona are the headline names in the squad.

Vidal recently underwent knee surgery but will be ready for the World Cup finals, his Serie A club have said.

Chile provisional 27-man World Cup squad:

Goalkeepers: Claudio Bravo (Real Sociedad/ESP) Johnny Herrera (Universidad de Chile), Cristopher Toselli (Universidad Católica), Paulo Garcés (O'Higgins)

Defenders: Gary Medel (Cardiff City/ENG), José Rojas (Universidad de Chile), Eugenio Mena (Santos/BRA), Gonzalo Jara (Nottingham Forest/ENG), Marcos González (Unión Española)

Midfielders: Arturo Vidal, Mauricio Isla (both Juventus/ITA), Marcelo Díaz (FC Basel/SUI), Francisco Silva (Osasuna/ESP), Rodrigo Millar (CSD Atlas/MEX), Pedro Pablo Hernández (O'Higgins), Felipe Gutiérrez (FC Twente Enschede/NED), José Pedro Fuenzalida (Colo Colo), Carlos Carmona (Atalanta/ITA), Jean Beausejour (Wigan Athletic/ENG), Charles Aránguiz (Internacional/BRA), Miiko Albornoz (Malmo FF/SWE)

Forwards: Alexis Sánchez (Barcelona/ESP), Eduardo Vargas (Valencia/ESP on loan from Napoli/ITA), Jorge Valdivia (Palmeiras/BRA), Mauricio Pinilla (Cagliari/ITA),Fabián Orellana (Celta Vigo/ESP), Matías Fernández (Fiorentina/ITA)