IN A difficult group consisting of Uruguay, Italy and England not many people are giving Costa Rica a chance of qualifying beyond the first phase.

In similar circumstances in 2006, they failed to win a game in a group consisting of Germany, Poland and Ecuador and there is every possibility it will happen again.

Their best World Cup to date was on their debut at Italia ’90. They reached the last 16 after finishing second in the group behind Brazil.

Qualification for Brazil 2014 was based on a solid defence. Only conceding seven goals in 10 games, they managed to win five of those games and drew three.

Going forward, they are not the strongest and scored just 13 goals in qualifying. 

Captain Bryan Ruiz had a disappointing time at Fulham but has the technique to make a difference and they will need him to be at his best if they are to stand any chance of beating the more difficult teams.

Arsenal’s Joel Campbell has impressed while on loan at Olympiakos, where he scored a spectacular goal against Manchester United in the Champions League, and any moments of brilliance he can produce can be the difference between going home at the earliest stage.

The injury to Everton’s Bryan Oviedo is a huge blow and the left-back will be sorely missed by manager Jorge Luis Pinto.

On their chances of reaching the last 16, the manager said: “We’re going to face three strong teams with World Cup pedigrees and that will motivate us and make us get a better feeling of the tournament. 

“It will make us react better on the pitch. We have never beaten any of them. Let’s hope this is the moment,” he said optimistically.

Verdict: Uruguay and Italy in their opening games is the worst possible start and I can see them losing both. If they get anything out of them, they could cause an upset by beating England but it will not be enough to get past the group stage.