Italy Squad Report: Time to make amends

No wins, a draw against New Zealand and a humiliating group stage exit as defending champions that resulted in Marcello Lippi taking his leave.

Italy has had four years to discuss and dissect their abysmal performance at the 2010 World Cup. Changes have been made. Talk of a footballing revolution under Cesare Prandelli — aided by the strong performance at Euro 2012 — have taken hold.

But the time for talk is over. 

Italy will begin their 2014 World Cup campaign in Manaus tonight when they meet England, a contest that should be fascinating for giving us our first look at two teams who come into Brazil with tempered expectations. Despite this, both sides have a quiet confidence about them.

The Azzurri have a tendency to perform best at major tournaments when the weight of expectation is off their shoulders. Will we see that again, tonight?

Fixtures/Results

Group D — June 14 — England vs. Italy

Group D — June 20 — Italy vs. Costa Rica

Group D — June 24 — Italy vs. Uruguay

Squad News/Rumors/Injury Report

Another injury scare? Manager Cesare Prandelli said during his final pre-match press conference that veteran goalkeeper and captain Gianluigi Buffon was forced to leave Friday's training session after suffering a slight ankle sprain. The tactician did note, however, that the ailment is nothing serious. 

Deep breath.

Questions remain over the starting lineup with the absence of Mattia De Sciglio. Will Prandelli opt for Matteo Darmian and Ignazio Abate as his fullbacks to try and combat the pace of England, or will he decide to push Giorgio Chiellini out to the left and fill that hole in the middle with one of Gabriel Paletta or Leonardo Bonucci?

Neither option is ideal, but this is the conundrum thrown the manager's way.

Five Quick Notes

1. The ballyhooed pitch in Manaus looks to be improving. 'Looks' being the operative word, however, after it was spray painted to cover up its many dead patches of turf.

2. The players from each team will be allowed to take water breaks during the match to combat the stifling weather conditions.

3. That said, with so much obsession over the asinine heat that the players will be forced to deal with, midfielder Andrea Pirlo remains cool as a cucumber, reminding everyone of one important thing: both teams have to deal with it, so stop with the silly narrative of one team suffering more than the other.

4. James Horncastle outlines how the depth in the Italian midfield could create problems for England, and how Roy Hogdson needs to focus on more than simply stopping Pirlo to bring the Azzurri attack to a halt.

5. Set to start in a supporting role behind Mario Balotelli, Antonio Candreva discusses his excitement ahead of the match, saying it will be the "most important moment" of his career.