Suarez: Uruguay can ´hurt´ England

Luis Suarez believes Uruguay have the ability to expose England’s weaknesses at the FIFA World Cup next month.

The Liverpool striker is expected to lead his country’s attack in Brazil and will come up against a host of club team-mates when they face England in Group D on June 19.

A number of Liverpool players are likely to feature for Roy Hodgson – including Suarez’s strike partner Daniel Sturridge and captain Steven Gerrard.

While Suarez is not taking the threat of England lightly, he feels his national side has what it takes to cause them problems in Manaus next month.

“I think they (England) have very good players that are in form and that are part of the big teams,” he told Perform.

“Most of the players come from the big names of the Premier League and that means a lot.

“But we also know that they have some troubles and we know we can hurt them.”

No team from outside South America has ever won a World Cup held on the continent, although Uruguay have won the competition in Brazil before.

Their second and last success in the showpiece event came when they beat the hosts in the 1950 final – and the likes of Suarez and Edinson Cavani make the reigning Copa America champions a real threat this time around.

Uruguay were beaten by Brazil in the semi-finals of the FIFA Confederations Cup last year, and Suarez hopes to use that defeat as motivation.

“It is clear that Uruguay knows the meaning of a World Cup in Brazil,” he added.

“It is more important because of what happened in the past but now we are living in the present – Brazil eliminated us in the Confederations Cup and it was not fair because I think we played better.

“But that’s football and sometimes despite playing a great game, you can’t always win.

“We realise that (the World Cup in) Brazil motivates us a lot because all the things that we have experienced in the past.

“But there will be other national teams that will try to leave a good image and football nowadays is pretty even.”