In the heat of the amazon jungle, England will face the 4 time World Cup title holders and UEFA 2012 runners up Italy when the two European football powerhouses meet in their opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 14, at Arena Amazonia, Manaus, Brazil. With so much on the line and plenty of history and pride on each side, this is an opening game that football fans around the world would never want to miss.
This is a classic match-up that will command a great deal of publicity and attention in the football world - particularly in England - leading up to the tournament. Both clubs know each other too well and given the humidity of Arena Amazonia, their is a great change that they will cancel out each other and play on a very tight game like their 0-0 draw at Euro 2012.
Both England and Italy do not posses an aggressive, adventurous style of play but neither can afford a loss with a dangerous opponent in Uruguay still to come so their is surely plenty of drama and intrigue to expect when they square off in Manaus.
What makes this heavyweight clash so intriguing, however, is the fact that both England and Italy enter the tournament with plenty of question marks. England has been criticized for disappearing in the the biggest stages like the EUFA Championship and the World Cup. Italy, on the other hand, needs to address doubts on its offence, which at instances seem to depend far too much on the quicksilver Mario Balotelli.
And if this game is going to be an extremely tight tactical battle - as many would expect it to be - a heavy burden will rest on both team's forward lines. Victory will most likely favor the team to make the first goal and all eyes will turn on Rooney and Balotelli. Rooney is the epitome of grit and grind while Balotelli is the archetype of flash and a little arrogance. Which style will prevail? Only time will tell when both teams go head to head on June 14 in their opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
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