Suarez giving nothing away
“It may sound simple, but I will try not to give any clues to our rivals,” said Suarez. “I believe that the less information you give to your opponents, the better your chance of getting a positive result.”
Ecuador, who surprisingly beat Poland 2-0 to top Group A alongside Germany, are one step away from clinching their first qualification to the second round.
Suarez, however, expects a tough game against Costa Rica, who are desperate for a win in order to keep their tournament hopes alive. Costa Rica were defeated 4-2 against the host nation Germany and another loss will effectively mean they are out of the tournament.
Suarez has all his players at his disposal. Striker Agustin Delgado has recovered from a minor left knee injury, while midfielder Edison Mendez and striker Carlos Tenorio have also shaken off their complaints.
“We are fortunate enough to have all our 23 players fit,” he said.
“We are also lucky because our opponents will not have Martinez, a player who has a lot of experience.”
Suarez claimed his team will not focus solely on the threat of former Manchester City striker Paulo Wanchope who struck twice against Germany and is considered the main threat to Ecuador’s hopes of making the second round. “We are going to keep an eye on every player, not just Wanchope.”
Costa Rica coach Alexandre Guimaraes believes “intelligent” play will be key to his team’s chances.
“Three points against Ecuador would give us more options in order to continue in the competition,” he said.
Guimaraes will not make wholesale changes to the starting XI that played against Germany. “We are not going to make the mistake of changing half the team for the clash against Ecuador,” he said. “We played a good game against Germany and there’s no reason to go crazy. We will, however, change our tactics slightly and the players are aware of what I expect from them.”
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