Two nations chasing World Cup glory will do battle today in a match between England and Italy. The 2014 World Cup group-stage match scheduled for 6 p.m. ET will be held at the Arena Amazonia in Manaus and can be live streamed here free. A free Spanish language stream of the match can be found here. Free radio coverage can be found here. Additional TV coverage can be found on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
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Unlike U.S. men's national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who openly admitted his team's chances of winning the World Cup are as good as a Nicholas Cage film, England head coach Roy Hodgson is asking for support from his native land. He too admitted his team isn't a group of "world beaters," but still hopes to bring England something they can believe in.
"What we want from back home is support, encouragement, for people to believe," said Hodgson (via BBC). "If it doesn't go that well for us, it's not for any other reasons than it didn't happen for us on the night. There is nothing that would please us more than to give a performance that has everyone thinking 'this is terrific.' 'What a good England team,'" he added.
"That's our only hope, our only goal. Of course there is always the anxiety that however much confidence you may have in the elements you control, it's that area you don't control—the misfortune, the bad luck or refereeing decisions."
"You're always anxious you can be unlucky."
Will England be able to find a bit of luck against Italy en route to a victory? Tell us @SportsWN
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Few players in the 2014 World Cup are as cultured or accomplished as Italy's Andrea Pirlo. The 35-year-old is making his third World Cup appearance for the Azzurri. In 30 league appearances with Juventus last season, Pirlo averaged 2.3 key passes per match in addition to his six assists. His ability to control the midfield will dictate the pace of the match.
England's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hart; Baines, Cahill, Jagielka, Johnson; Henderson, Gerrard; Rooney, Sterling, Lallana; Sturridge
Italy's Projected Lineup (4-3-1-2): Sirigu; Sciglio, Chiellini; Barzagli, Abate; Rossi, Pirlo, Marchisio; Verratti, Cerci, Balotelli
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored)
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