URUGUAY , COSTARICA , ENGLAND , ITALY

URUGUAY FA INFO

Foundation year : 1900

WORLD CUP HISTORY 11 Appearances : 1930 , 1950 , 1954 , 1962 , 1966 , 1970 , 1974 , 1986 , 1990 , 2002 , 2010 . Best outing : Winners in 1930 , 1950

ROAD TO BRAZIL 2014

7 / 10 / 2011 : Uruguay 4 – 2 Bolivia

11 / 10 / 2011 : Paraguay 1 – 1 Uruguay 11 / 11 / 2011 : Uruguay 4-0 Chile 2 / 06 / 2012 : Uruguay 1 – 1 Venezuela 10 / 06 / 2012 : Uruguay 4 – 2 Peru 7 / 09 / 2012 : Colombia 4 – 0 Uruguay 11 / 09 / 2012 : Uruguay 1 – 1 Ecuador 12 / 10 / 2012 : Argentina 3 – 0 Uruguay 16 / 10 / 2012 : Bolivia 4 – 1 Uruguay 22 / 03 / 2013 : Uruguay 1-1 Paraguay 26 / 03 / 2013 : Chile 2 – 0 Uruguay 11 / 06 / 2013 : Venezuela 0 – 1 Uruguay 6 / 09 / 2013 : Peru 1 – 2 Uruguay 10 / 09 / 2013 : Uruguay 2 – 0 Colombia 11 / 10 / 2013 : Ecuador 1 – 0 Uruguay 15 / 10 / 2013 : Uruguay 3 – 2 Argentina

STAR MAN

LUIS SUAREZ : It would have been a loss to the 2014 World Cup if Uruguay had failed to qualify for the finals . Suarez is a nightmare to defences with his quick feet , breath-taking dribbles , unstoppable shots and perhaps- the bite and Diego Maradonaesque ' Hand -of- God ' blocks . Suarez is a ' demon ' which millions of fans all over the world will enjoy watching terrorise

BRIEFLY : Uruguay have made 11 appearances at the FIFA World Cup and have won the finals twice , including the maiden edition which they won at home in 1930 , and later in 1950 . They also reached the second round in all but three , the semi-finals five times . Uruguay refused to participate in 1934 and defend their title because many European nations declined to take part in 1930 held in Uruguay . Uruguay also refused to enter in 1938 because FIFA ' s decision during the celebration of the 1936 Summer Olympics to hold the tournament in France caused outrage in South America where it was believed that the venue would alternate between the two continents .

The Copa America holders struggled to qualify for the 2014 World Cup , needing a play-off against Jordan to book their place after narrowly missing out on the top four of the South American qualifying section . With players like Cavani and Luis Suarez , though , they have more than enough ability to cause problems .

MISSION : Simply to win their third World Cup title in Brazil this summer . Uruguay have not won the World Cup in recent years , but they won the 1980 Mundialito , a tournament among former World Cup champions hosted in their

KEY

MAN EDISON CAVANI : Playing a

support role to Suarez in Brazil will be PSG ' s striker Edinson Cavani . The forward has forged a deadly striking partnership with the Liverpool striker and just as they showed at the 2011 Copa America and 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup , the team is bound to create a lot of problems for their opponents . Wherever he plays from on the pitch , the beastly forward is an asset for the

homeland in 1980 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first World Cup .

PREPARATION : After Uruguay ' s World Cup campaign in which they had to eliminate Jordan to book a ticket to the 2014 finals in Brazil , the South Americans played out a 1-1 draw against a tenacious Austria side in Klagenfurt in an international friendly on 5 March , 2014 . Uruguay were also billed to play Northern Ireland and Slovenia on May 29 and June 3 respectively before their first World Cup game against Costa Rica on June 14 .

HIGH POINT : The Uruguay national t e a m i s o n e brimming with world class talents ably led by Liverpool ' s ' living legend ' Luis Suarez . Uruguay might have qualified for the Mundial via play-offs but they will be one of the candidates for the latter stages of the World Cup in Brazil . Oscar Tabarez ' s

KING LUIZ : Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez ( C ) is marked by Chilean players Eugenio Mena ( L ) and Charles Aranguiz Wednesday , 27 March 2013

team reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2010 though rather controversially after eliminating Ghana- in a game which Suarez was sent off for stopping a goalbound goal with his hand , which the Africans lost the resultant penalty kick .

LOW POINT : For Uruguay , there isn ' t a lot to worry about as we build up to the FIFA World Cup . They may have qualified via a play-off vs . Jordan , but they ' re a tournament football team and will light up the big stage once the show commences .

If there ' s a hole to pick , it ' s at full-back , though , with Alvaro Pereira ' s poor form for Internazionale forcing him out on loan to the Brasileiro Serie A . The defender however scored his team ' s goal in their friendly against Austria .

COACH

OSCAR TABAREZ : Oscar Tabarez is on a mission to lead the Uruguay national team to World Cup success . After an unassuming career as a player and after working as a primary school teacher , Tabarez embarked on an extensive coaching career which has lasted more than 30 years and included coaching teams in Colombia ,

Pereira

Forlan

STRONGEST LINE-UP

Perez

Godin

Muslera

Rodriguez

Suarez

Lugano

Arevaro

FORMATION : 4-3-3

KEY

MAN DIEGO LUGANO : Diego Lugano is the captain of the Uruguay national team . He may be a surprise inclusion as one of the key players on this team but his experience and leadership will be needed by his nation to excel . Uruguay have world class strikers and midfielders which also includes Diego Forlan , but as the cliche goes in football ; ' strikers win you matches but defenders win you trophies '.

Cavani

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