Uruguay have figured prominently in the World Cup twice, winning the silverware in the 1930 and 1950 editions. The current set of players has been considered by many sports analysts to be the country’s best since their championship decades ago. Incidentally, that victory was carried out in Brazil, who will return this year as the tournament’s hosts for the finals.
 
The years 2010 and 2011 were triumphant periods for La Celeste, as these years gave them massive support following back-to-back successes in the South Africa World Cup (finished fourth overall) and the Copa Americana.
 
The dynamic Luis Suarez leads the Uruguayan line in terms of scoring skills, with Edinson Cavani and Diego Forlan earning a license to do equal impression. Coach Oscar Tabarez, however, may experiment on new formations to test the strengths of his other players.
 
Costa Rica, meanwhile, might consider their Group D draw as a suicide. They are this year’s victims of the so-called “Group of Death,” as they were seeded alongside former champions England, Italy, and the aforementioned Uruguay. They would have to rely on their tactical stability and technical effervescence to enable them to pull off a shock in Brazil.
 
The Central American underdogs, while they excelled in the qualifying, have one of the longest odds of reaching the last 16. Only Australia—who were grouped with Spain, the Netherlands, and Chile—can be considered to be of higher risk.
 
The Costa Ricans have previous experience when it comes to World Cup surprises, but the chances of a repeat performance do not look good. Colombian coach Jorge Luis Pinto nevertheless, remains calm and confident that his side will be strong enough to cope with the challenges awaiting them in the group stage.