SAO PAULO (AP) — Only eight countries have ever won the World Cup, and in Brazil three of them face Group D underdogs Costa Rica.

Coach Jorge Luis Pinto greeted them with a warning: “We respect England, Italy, and Uruguay. But they should know that we can play football too.”

In today’s opener in Fortaleza, Pinto’s men take on a Uruguay side which has high hopes of improving on its run to the semi-finals in 2010, despite the uncertainty hanging over striker Luis Suarez following knee surgery three weeks ago.

Hard-working Costa Rica resumed training within hours of arriving last Tuesday at their southern World Cup camp in Santos.

Key to their success as a Central American spoiler, says the coach, is the notion that the pressure will be on all three of their opponents to win.

“We will play without fear. We face three world champions and we can take them all on,” Pinto said. “What we feel is joy and motivation.”

Pinto’s plans could be rattled on if he loses central defenders Michael Umana and Junior Diaz, who are recovering from flu.

The Ticos are expected to rely on in-form goalkeeper Keylor Navas who plays for Spanish club Levante, and 28-year-old captain Bryan Ruiz, whose season was revived in the Netherlands after doomed Premier League club Fulham loaned him out to PSV Eindhoven before being relegated.

Ruiz guided the Costa Ricans as they efficiently went about the task of beating weaker opponents in qualifying to make their fourth World Cup appearance.

Against Uruguay, Pinto is more likely to use counterattacks, helped by Joel Campbell, an Arsenal striker on loan to Olympiakos.

Uruguay may have more talent on the bench that many countries could hope for, but the South American nation is worried about the recovery of striker Luis Suarez, who scored 11 goals in qualifying for his country.

The 27-year-old joined training on the sidelines at the Uruguay base near Belo Horizonte, and posted a video to fans on the Internet to assure them his recovery was going well.

Even his absence would leave coach Oscar Tabarez with the formidable Edinson Cavani, the Paris Saint-Germain striker who scored 16 goals in the French League this season, and the 35-year-old Diego Forlan, player of the tournament at the 2010 World Cup.

Uruguay’s ambitions, Tabarez said, require a win in Fortaleza.

“The Costa Ricans are fast and they will try and make life difficult for us,” the 67-year-old coach said. “Costa Rica is a major obstacle and we have a lot of respect for them. But our intention is to get the three points.”