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Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez believes Luis Suarez might be available for their opening Group D match against Costa Rica.
Liverpool striker Suarez, who is expected to be the subject of a £70million bid from Real Madrid this summer, is recovering from knee surgery and it was feared he would not make it in time for the World Cup.
But speaking after Uruguay beat Slovenia 2-0 last night in their final warm-up match, Tabarez said: “We have great hopes of [Suarez] playing at the World Cup. I wouldn’t assure it will be in the first match but nor are we ruling that out."
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Uruguay face England in Sao Paulo on June 19 before a potentially decisive match against Italy in Natal on June 24.
In Suarez’s absence, Edinson Cavani (left) and Christian Stuani were on target, although Tabarez was critical of his team’s performance.
He said: “I wasn’t too convinced by our attack in the first half, in the second the team looked more compact.”
