AITOR KARANKA will keep a close eye on a match in Montevideo tonight after Uruguay head coach Oscar Tabarez confirmed Cristhian Stuani is available to play.

Stuani was an unused substitute last Thursday when Le Celeste lost in Ecuador after a decision was taken beforehand not to risk the forward.

But after Uruguay’s 100 per cent start to World Cup qualifying came to an end, Tabarez is looking at ways of freshening his team up and Boro’s £2.6m buy from Espanyol is one of the options.

Middlesbrough head coach Karanka still does not feel Stuani is ready to make his comeback at that level, particularly in a World Cup qualifier with Chile which is expected to be a passionate and ill-tempered affair.

It will be the first time Uruguay have faced Chile since Mauricio Isla’s goal earned a 1-0 win in the quarter-finals of the Copa America earlier this year; a meeting overshadowed by a confrontation between Gonzalo Jara and Edinson Cavani. Cavani was red carded, while Jara was suspended for the rest of the tournament retrospectively.

Karanka is concerned Stuani could suffer a recurrence of either of the two muscle tears he returned from his last international break with, even though Tabarez is adamant the player has recovered from the groin and thigh problems.

The Uruguay boss has had regular chats with Stuani since the player joined up with the squad last week and he has had two further discussions at the end of training sessions during the last couple of days.

Stuani is understood to be willing to play a part for Uruguay (kick-off 11pm) if called upon after suggesting he is fit enough to figure, although the final decision will clearly rest with Tabarez.

Middlesbrough are being kept informed but, regardless of whether or not he figures tonight, he will not be considered for the Championship fixture with Queens Park Rangers on Friday night. The 29-year-old will not arrive back on Teesside until Thursday.

Karanka has been working on being without Stuani until December, so he was not expected to figure against either QPR or Huddersfield on November 28. There was a greater chance of him returning for the Capital One Cup quarter-final with Everton on December 1 or the trip to Ipswich three days later.

Supporters looking to purchase a ticket for the tie with Everton must have a previous purchase history with the club. The Toffees have sold their 4,800 allocation and Boro season ticket holders have until the end of the week to reserve their usual seat. The decision has been made to try to prevent further Everton fans from buying tickets in the home end at the Riverside and ticket sales are already in excess of 20,000.