This England-Italy opening match will be for Group D supremacy, or at least for second
spot, with that team also advancing. Whoever wins this match will be in a
good, early position of going into the next two group matches in strong
form.
England made it to
the Round of 16 in South Africa in 2010, while Italian fizzled and went
home after the first round. They both come to Brazil seeking to do
better.
While these teams
have played each other 24 times over the years, they’ve met precisely
once in a World Cup. In 1990, Italy edged England 2:1 on home soil in
the match for third place. So while passions for this 2014 match may
well be high, there’s not much actual World Cup rivalry.
Both teams have an impacted player on Wayne Rooney (England) & Mario Balotelli (Italia).
- England: Wayne Rooney. This iconic Manchester United forward
scored seven goals in his six starts for England during qualifying.
He’s a talisman. But Rooney still has to prove he can excel on the World
Cup stage come tournament time.
- Italy: Mario Balotelli. Mercurial and
brilliant, Balotelli can daze, confuse and amuse with his moods and
moves. At his best, he’s among the best. The trick for the Italians is
to keep him focused.
The oppressive heat and humidity of host city Manaus will be
brutal. Several English players rode the stationary bikes in saunas to
prepare themselves. Fitness and endurance will be put to the test.
England Manager Roy Hodgson puts a lot of stock into Rooney. And it’s paying off. Rooney scored a goal from the left-wing —not his normal position — in a pre-tournament game against Ecuador in very warm weather.
Italy often starts
off slowly in big tournaments. But that would be costly in Brazil. The
Italians need to hit the pitch against England with a laser focus on
scoring goals, while staying strong in defence and in goal.
Source: CBC.CA