Santa Cruz has been troubled with a leg muscle injury and only played a small part in the draw against Italy in their opening game.

There were renewed concerns about the Manchester City striker's fitness when he did not join the rest of the squad as they got a feel for the pitch.

While Martino refused to be drawn on whether Santa Cruz would start tomorrow, he explained: "Roque had the option whether to come or not and decided to stay at the hotel."

The Paraguay players looked laid back as they took pictures at the stadium and made calls on their mobiles.

However after they shocked Italy, Martino has told his side not to be complacent when they meet Slovakia.

He said: "They have good technical ability and pose a different test for us, so we will have to adapt.

"Even if we win there is no guarantee we will qualify. What we have to do is work better with the ball than we did against Italy.

"I am not sure how far we can go in the tournament but tomorrow's game will be a good indicator."

For left back Claudio Morel it is a further opportunity to showcase his talents as he is being released by Argentinian side Boca Juniors.

But for the moment he is only concerned about helping his nation in South Africa.

He said: "The issue about not having a club is not the foremost thing on my mind.

"We have a dream in Paraguay and after the World Cup I can focus on my career.

"Our motivation is to defend our country's colours and show we can be the equals of Brazil and Argentina."