As the Three Lions take on the Azzuris at the Arena Amazonia on Friday, this could well be the start of a topsy-turvy ride for both these teams in the group of death. Both teams will be looking to get three points to slightly relieve themselves of the immense pressure they will be under. England will be looking to find a perfect mixture between their experienced campaigners and their hot blooded youngsters,whereas Italy will be looking for an exact balance between their defense and attack.There are going to be a number of interesting on-field battles tomorrow night and fromthose several juicy matchups, we take a look at perhaps the 5 most key head-to-head individual battles that will decide the outcome of this important Group Dtie.
#1
There is absolutely no saying what Mario Balotelli is going to do on any given day on the field.On his day it wouldn't besurprising to see Balotelli giving the defenders around him an absolutely torrid time whereas on another day he can simplybe indifferent to anything and everything going on around him.However,the former version of the Balotelli usually seems toturn up whenever he dons the blue jersey for his country.Cahill will not only have to deal with Balotelli's aerial strenthbut also his pace.Italy will be wary of Cahill geeting on the scoresheet himself after showing that he is more than capableof turning the ball in with his head when he is inside the box. Balotelli has expressed his desire to become a 'legend' and he will be determined to make the match against Englandhis first step to do so.
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#1
There is absolutely no saying what Mario Balotelli is going to do on any given day on the field.On his day it wouldn't be surprising to see Balotelli giving the defenders around him an absolutely torrid time whereas on another day he can simply be indifferent to anything and everything going on around him.However,the former version of the Balotelli usually seems to turn up whenever he dons the blue jersey for his country.Cahill will not only have to deal with Balotelli's aerial strenth but also his pace.Italy will be wary of Cahill geeting on the scoresheet himself after showing that he is more than capable of turning the ball in with his head when he is inside the box. My Pick: Balotelli has expressed his desire to become a 'legend' and he will be determined to make the match against England his first step to do so.
#2 Wayne Rooney Vs Giorgio Chiellini
Chiellini has been on brilliant form this season,forming a seemingly impenetrable wall at the heart of the Juventus defense. However,on Friday Chiellini will need all his experience and form to back him up when he comes up against one of the best players in the world.
Rooney has been by far the best player in an otherwise faltering Manchester United team. After not scoring in the last two world cups as he was hampered by injuries Rooney comes into the World Cup in a very determined mindset knowing that he must carry the weight of the expectations of a football-crazy nation on his shoulders.
An in-form Rooney is an absolute joy to watch,as he showed us with his absolutely stunning half-line goal against West Ham.Not only is he a brilliant goal-scorer but a tireless worker for his team. Sparks are definite to fly when these to world class players go head to head against each other.
My Pick: Rooney looks very determined to do well this year and has the skill and temperament to do so as well.I expect Rooney to come up on top.
#2 Mario Balotelli vs Gary Cahill
#3 Rahem Sterling Vs Ignazio Abate
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On the other hand,Abate comes on the back of a disappointing club campaign with AC Milan.He had come under a lot of criticism for not tracking back to cover his defense after making his customary lung bursting forward runs. He'll be keen to silence his doubters by putting up an impressive show against Sterling.
My Pick:Sterling comes into the world cup in absolutely blistering form and high on confidence and will be expected to get the better of Abate.
#4 Phil Jagielka vs Antonio Cassano
Both these players many not garner as much headlines as their more illustrious team mates. However, both these players have shown us during their club campaigns that they are more than capable of doing their duties as efficiently as anybody else on the pitch.
Jagielka will have to learn to deal with Cassano’s pace whereas the latter will surely find it difficult against Jagielka's aerial strength. Both of them will be looking to put up an impressive show and make the world sit up and notice as the winner of this particular battle will have a strong impact on the final result.
My Pick:Cassano seems to have more pace than Jageilka can handle and may leave the defender trailing behind him.
#6 Andrea Pirlo Vs Steven Gerrard
This is arguably going to be the most important battle on the pitch for both teams. Last time England played Italy, Pirlo ran riot in midfield, leaving the English midfielders in a trance. So Roy Hodgson's team will definitely know the importance of making sure that Pirlo is not given even an inch of space at the centre of the pitch.
Gerrard who has been absolutely brilliant in his new defensive midfield role for his club will not only have to try and shield his defense from Pirlo but will also have to provide some assistance to his relatively inexperienced frontline. While Pirlo has confirmed that this would be his last World Cup, the same may be the case for Gerrard.Both these midfield generals will be looking to bow out on a high after enchanting the soccer world one last time.My Pick: It's very difficult to predict the winner between these two legends.But if I had to pick one name, I would pick Pirlo.
