Arena Amazonia, Manuas
Kick-off: 3.30 am Sri Lankan Time
The wait is over and England finally get their World Cup campaign underway on Saturday, where they are looking to exact revenge on the Italian team who knocked them out of Euro 2012. It is set to be an intriguing encounter as both teams sweat it out in the humidity of the Amazon, desperate to get off to a winning start, or perhaps more importantly to avoid defeat.
Theo Walcott is back home, recovering from a knee injury, while Arsenal team-mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is out after damaging his medial knee ligaments, but should be available to face Uruguay.
Danny Welbeck remains a doubt with a thigh problem but that should open the door for Raheem Sterling, Liverpool’s precocious Jamaica-born winger.
Italy have been dealt a blow with first-choice left-back Mattia De Sciglio ruled out with a calf injury so coach Cesrae Prandelli must shuffle his defence.
With few options available to him Prandelli may switch centre-half Giorgio Chiellini to left-back and chose between Leonardo Bonucci or Gabriel Paletta alongside Andrea Barzagli in the centre of Italy’s defence.
England (Possible, 4-2-1-3): Hart; Johnson, Cahill, Jagielka, Baines; Gerrard, Henderson; Sterling; Lallana, Sturridge, Rooney.
Out: Oxlade-Chamberlain (knee).
Test: Welbeck (thigh).
Italy (Possible, 4-4-2): Buffon; Abate, Bonucci, Bonucci, Chiellini; De Rossi, Candreva, Pirlo, Marchisio; Balotelli, Cassano.
Out: De Sciglio (calf).
- Last time these sides met in a World Cup was at Italia 1990, with Italy winning 2-1 in the third/fourth play-off.
- This fixture has been played 24 times, with England winning eight, Italy winning nine, and seven ending in a draw.
- England have 22 home based players in their squad, whilst Italy have 20.
- Roy Hodgson named England’s youngest ever squad since 1958, with an average age of 26.
- England’s Luke Shaw is the second youngest player at the World Cup finals.
- Italy’s last win against another international side was in September 2013.
- This game will be Gianluigi Buffon’s 141 cap, and the start of his fifth World Cup.
