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Uruguay and Costa Rica, would kick off the proceedings in the much anticipated Group of Death (Group D). Uruguay enters this World Cup with huge expectations, on the back of their surprising run to the semifinals in 2010. Underdogs then, they are one of the favorites to get past this group and go the distance as the tournament progresses. Costa Rica, in their fourth World cup, would be trying to cause some upsets in this group and get past the group stages for the first time since 1990. This promises to be the most intriguing group with a number of possibilities.
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Venue
Estadio Castelao located at Fortaleza would host this all important clash. Built in 1973 and named Estadio Governador Placido Castelo, it was completely revamped to host few matches for the Confederations Cup in 2013 and the FIFA World Cup 2014. With a capacity of 60,000 and at mean sea level altitude, the Estadio Castelao will host four group matches (including the all important Brazil vs Mexico) and one game each in the ‘Round of 16’ and ‘Quarter finals’.
Kickoff time
June 13 – 4:00 pm – Local Time
June 14 – 12:30 am – Indian Standard Time (IST)
Possible Starting Line Ups
The pre world cup talk for Uruguay has all been about Luis Suarez’s injury and his subsequent fight to be fit for the World Cup. However, Oscar Tabarez widely responsible for their resurgence has a squad full of talent that is capable of performing well at the grand stage without their talismanic striker. The final 11 has already been confirmed against Costa Rica
Uruguay (4-4-2): Muslera, M.Pereira, Lugano, Godín, Cáceres, Gargano, A.Ríos, Stuani, Rodríguez, Forlán, Cavani.
Costa Ricans come into the game as underdogs and are considered as the potential lightweights in this group. Having lost and drawn their two pre world cup friendlies, they would be looking to their fast attacking style of play to disrupt Uruguay’s shaky defense.
Costa Rica (4-3-3): Keylor, Gamboa, Miller, Gonzalez, Junior Diaz, Umana, Cubero, Borges, Bolanos, Bryan Ruiz, Campbell
Key Facts
- Uruguay won the only previous World Cup held in Brazil, defeating the hosts in the final in 1950.
- Luis Suarez was the top scorer in the South American World Cup qualifiers (11 goals). He had the most shots on target in the last World Cup (15).
- Diego Forlan has scored three of Uruguay’s last five goals at the World Cup.
- Costa Rica have lost their last four games at the World Cup, conceding 14 goals (3.5/game).
- Veteran coach Oscar Tabarez has been in charge of Uruguay since February 2006, the longest period among the 32 head-coaches involved in this year’s World Cup.
- Uruguay have won six and lost none of their eight previous meetings with Costa Rica, most recently defeating them 2-1 on aggregate in a 2010 World Cup play-off.
- Costa Rica have won their opening game in two of their previous three World Cup tournaments (1-0 v Scotland in 1990 and 2-0 v China in 2002).
- Los Ticos have lost all three previous World Cup meetings with South American sides, conceding nine goals in the process.
Key Battles
Cavani vs Junior Diaz
This will be the major battle at the top end of the pitch. The absence of Suarez will leave Cavani as the leading man a role which he absolutely relishes. Known for his tireless work rate and a knack of scoring impressive goals, Cavani would be looking to exploit the inexperienced defense of the Los Ticos. However, he will be up against Junior Diaz who is one of the main pillars of the Los Ticos defense. Strong and physical in the air, he is more than capable of making the necessary tackles and interceptions to frustrate Cavani.
Bolanos vs Caceres
One more interesting showdown on the other side of the pitch would be between the highly rated Christian Bolanos and Caceres. A speedy right winger and a keen eye to bring his team mates into the game he would be looking to exploit the La Celeste’s lack of pace at the back. A key player in the counter attacking style of Costa Rica, he would be a continuous threat on the wings and would constantly look for opportunities to pressure Uruguay’s defense. Caceres would need to be at his defensive best and provide cover for Godin to thwart these attacks if Uruguay is to prevail in this showdown.
Predictions
Oscar Tabrez’s squad would be looking to attack from the start and get all three points in this encounter. A win is a necessity for La Celeste as any other result in this game would make their next two encounters against England and Italy that more decisive. Costa Rica will do well to counter them, especially through the pace of Campbell, Bolanos and the trickery of Ruiz. However, if they are unable to test La Celeste’s defense, then Uruguay should comfortably see this one out comfortably.
Predicted Scoreline: Uruguay 3-1 Costa Rica
Match Officials
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)
Assistant Referee 1: Mark Borsch (Germany)
Assistant Referee 2: Stefan Lupp (Germany)
Fourth Official: Victor Hugo Carrillo (Peru)
