Two nations chasing World Cup glory will do battle today in a match between Italy and Costa Rica. The 2014 World Cup group-stage match scheduled for 12 p.m. ET will be held at the Arena Pernambuco in Recife 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, Univision and ESPN Deportes.
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Both teams enter today's match with three points and are one victory away from advancing to the Round of 16. Italy, however, are also entering today's match with a new solid core—one that can help the team succeed in Recife and beyond.
"It is important to have some sort of 'solid core' in a national team, that group of four, five, six players who have been together for a few years," Daniele De Rossi said (via FIFA). "Those players, having gone through various experiences and even a World Cup, can help the new and younger players who come in. [Mario] Balotelli, [Marco] Verratti and [Matteo] Darmian are a few of the new players, but there are many others, such as Insigne and Immobile etc," he added.
"It's easier to integrate these players because there's already a strong structure in place, a solid group that can help make the step up smoother for the youngsters."
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Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Pinto has been vocal about his tactics ahead of Friday's encounter with Italy, with possession of the ball being his top priority. The responsibility of deploying his vision falls squarely on the shoulders of Celso Borges. According to the statisticians at WhoScored, the 26-year-old completed 41 of his 49 attempted passes against Uruguay, more than any other Costa Rican player. Borges' ability to bring calmness and direction to the disruption caused by his midfield partner, Yeltsin Tejeda, will be vital to the team's success.
Italy's Projected Lineup (4-3-1-2): Sirigu; Sciglio, Chiellini; Barzagli, Abate; Rossi, Pirlo, Marchisio; Verratti, Cerci, Balotelli
Costa Rica's Projected Lineup (5-4-1): Navas; Diaz, Duarte, Gonzalez, Umaña, Gamboa; Bolaños, Borges, Tejeda, Ruiz; Campbell
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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