Tabarez pins his hopes on Suarez

Uruguay are hoping Luis Suarez will be fit enough to help them revive their World Cup hopes against England on Thursday after a shock 3-1 loss to Costa Rica in Saturday's Group D opener.

Coach Oscar Tabarez said Uruguay, with Suarez asking to stay on the bench, were caught out by moves they had not faced for a long time and needed to restore their badly dented image.

"This was a very tough match in the first half. In the second half they took advantage of all the opportunities they had," Tabarez told reporters.

"It was a tough loss for us, the way we lost, with goals stemming from plays that we haven't suffered in a long time.

"We'll have to digest that rapidly. The team is having a more difficult beginning (then expected).

"We have an image to defend," said Tabarez, whose team reached the semifinals in South Africa in 2010, South America's best performance at the tournament. Suarez has recovered from knee cartilage surgery carried out last month but remains short of match fitness and practice.

"He is indeed a player that I count on, but he hasn't been able yet to play at competition level during training. He asked to stay on the bench," Tabarez said.

"Should he meet all the expectations, he will be able to enter the field.”