Crespo tore his right thigh after scoring the first goal in Argentina's 4-2 victory over Colombia on Monday, and Basile admits he faces a tough choice between Carlos Tevez and Diego Milito, who replaced the injured striker in the last game.

With Argentina already qualified for the quarter-finals, the coach is expected to field his reserves against Paraguay, but remains undecided over the vacant forward role.

"Since the tournament began, the natural replacement for Crespo has been Milito, because they have quite a lot of similar qualities, despite them not being exactly the same," he said.

"However, it doesn't mean I will always stick with that same substitution.

"It all depends on the rivals we face. Tevez is more explosive rather than a strategist. He is a very aggressive forward who has the goal in his mind. He could also play on Thursday."

Basile, who is only expected to reveal his starting XI at Thursday's noon press conference, added that he will bring all the players together on the training field before deciding whether to field a full reserve team or a mixture of experience and fresh legs.