England vs Italy: What we can expect – Preview and prediction

England vs Italy – Group D fixture in FIFA World Cup

In one of the most awaited encounters of the group stage in thisyear’s FIFA World Cup, England will take on Italy on day three of the tournament. In this game between two giants of the game, the final result will largely be decided by how the teams execute their tactics and also how they adapt to the relatively unfamiliar playing conditions.

England will be keen to kick-start their campaign with a revenge over their opponents who knocked them out from Euro 2012; while Italy will be keen to exorcise the demons of South Africa 2010 where they were knocked out of the event in the group stage itself after coming into the tournament as defending champions.

Venue

The most exotic of the twelve host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the Amazon city of Manaus will offer tricky playing conditions for both England and Italy with heat and humidity expected to play a role in the match’s outcome. The Arena Amazônia, constructed in 2013 and having a capacity of 39918, will play host to this game. With the groundsman admitting that the pitch is in “bad shape”, the match will test the adaptability as well as the ability to handle pressure of both teams.

Kick-off Time

June 14, 2014: 6:00 pm - Local Time

June 15, 2014: 3:30 am – Indian Standard Time (IST)

Possible Starting Line-ups

Roy Hodgson has revealed that Danny Welbeck is fit for the match after suffering an injury scare, and in all likelihood will be in the starting line-up for the game. The core of the team seems to select itself without many debates, though Hodgson will have to ponder over the role that he should allocate to Wayne Rooney. Youngsters Raheem Sterling and Ross Barkley can be expected to play a part in the game at some stage by coming off the bench.

England (4-2-3-1): Hart; Johnson, Cahill, Jagielka, Baines; Gerrard, Henderson; Rooney, Welbeck, Lallana; Sturridge

For Cesare Prandelli, one of the key decisions for the game will be to find an effective replacement for left-back Mattia De Sciglio who has been ruled out for the match with injury. Matteo Darmian of Torino may get the nod for the role. Andrea Pirlo will be tasked with controlling the midfield while Mario Balotelli is expected to lead the attack for the Azzuri. Ciro Immobile and Marco Verratti can expect some game time in the match, though most probably, off the bench.

Italy (4-4-2): Buffon; Abate, Bonucci, Chiellini, Darmian; Candreva, Pirlo, De Rossi, Marchisio; Balotelli, Cerci

Key Facts and Stats

The teams have met 24 times before, with England winning 8 games, Italy winning 9 while 7 of the games ending in stalemate.
One of the draws was the 0-0 draw in the quarterfinals of Euro 2012 in which England bowed out of the tournament after losing on penalties(yet again!).
A total of 57 goals have been scored in these matches between the two sides with England scoring 30 goals and Italy tallying for 27.
The last time the two teams met in a World Cup was in the 1990 edition in Italy in the third place playoff. The home team came out on top in that game 2-1.
There are 20 home based players in the Italian squad, while the English have 22 home based players in theirs.
Italy’s last win in an international game was way back in September 2013 when they beat Czech Republic 2-1 in a World Cup Qualifier game. Since then, Italy have failed to win a single international, including against teams like Luxembourg and Armenia.
The match will be Italian captain Gianluigi Buffon’s 141st international cap, and this edition will be his fifth World Cup.

A Flashback

Key Battles

Steven Gerrard vs Andrea Pirlo

Both players are vastly experienced and are coming off excellent campaigns in their domestic leagues. Gerrard and Pirlo will look to control the game for their respective teams from the midfield. Not only their range of passing, but also their ability to score and create goals from set-pieces can have a huge impact on the result of the game.

Daniel Sturridge vs Giorgio Chiellini

Sturridge will look to continue his goal scoring form from the Premier League season in the World Cup. The player is expected to lead the team’s attack and will be expected to provide the flair that the English have been missing for so long. The experienced Chiellini will require to be playing his top game to keep Sturridge quiet.

Gary Cahill vs Mario Balotelli

Similar to Sturridge, Balotelli will be expected to lead his side’s attack and us ehis powerful play to be a constant goal threat. With Jagielka just returning back from injury and fullbacks Johnson and Baines preferring to attack whenever possible, the impetus will be on Cahill to keep the striker (Balotelli) quiet.

Prediction

It will be a closely fought game which is likely to be played with a slow tempo as both teams will try and adapt to the humid climate. Italy is likely to dominate the possession, while England will look to attack on the counter and capitalize on Steven Gerrard’s delivery from set pieces. A draw however will be the likely result with both teams happy to get off the mark in the tournament.

Predicted scoreline: England 1-1 Italy (Goalscorers: Rooney and Balotelli)