ITALY
Italy and England will begin their World Cup campaigns in the little known town of Manaus, deep in the Amazonian rainforest, on June 14th in a match which could decide the group winner. In one of the tougher qualifying groups, which also includes Uruguay and Costa Rica, both sides will be looking to start the tournament with a win to erase memories of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa which left both sides bitterly disappointed.
The 2010 World Cup left a particularly sour taste in Italian mouths. The Italian team were an embarrassment, finishing bottom of an eminently winnable Group F and were humiliatingly eliminated. Two draws, against lowly New Zealand and group winners Paraguay, as well as a 3-2 defeat to Slovakia which sent them out led to a total of 2 points from 3 games. They accumulated fewer points than New Zealand, who expected nothing more than to enjoy their time in South Africa.
ITALY VS SLOVAKIA 2010 WORLD CUP