Uruguay vs Costa Rica World Cup 2014 football preview

Boys watch as another boy practices his soccer bicycle kicks at a Rio de Janeiro slum, Brazi, Monday, June 9, 2014. The 2014 Word Cup soccer tournament is set to begin in just a few days, with Brazil and Croatia playing in the opening match on June 12. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Uruguay will play Costa Rica on Saturday as both teams look to get off to the perfect start in World Cup 2014. Group D is one of the most competitive in the tournament this year with Uruguay, Italy and England all with excellent chances of making it through to the knock out stages, but all also being teams with clear frailties. Costa Rica also have the players to be able to pull of a shock or two and they will be hoping to mix it with the other three and claim a top-two spot and make the Round of 16.

Today's game will start 3 p.m. EST and can be watched on the ABC network, or online through the live stream link provided below.

Many believe that Uruguay must win this game today if they are to have a chance of getting out of this group, but don't expect Costa Rica to make it easy.

The big team news ahead of the game is the injury to Luis Suarez. He of course had surgery on his left meniscus in May, and he's been struggling to get back to full fitness ever since.

It's still unclear whether he will be starting in today's game as Uruguay manager Oscar Tabarez and Suarez have been sending out mixed signals about just how ready he is. However, Suarez himself will definitely be pushing to play, and he is probably more likely than not to feature at least for a portion of today's game.

For Costa Rica both Michael Umaña and Junior Diaz fell ill in the build up to the tournament, however, they look likely to recover in time and should be available for selection. Most expect Costa Rica to start the game with three central defenders and have Joel Campbell up front.

Today's game can be watched from 3 p.m. EST and can be watched online by clicking here.

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