Alan Shearer, Phil Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Gary Lineker, Thierry Henry, Gabby Logan and Alan Hansen – Image Credit: BBC/Andrew Hayes-Watkins/Matthew Burlem
What date and time does the England vs Italy match start in the World Cup 2014?
With BBC One’s Match of the Day Live TV coverage starting at 10:20pm and broadcasting right through to 1:30am, kick off for England’s opening match of the competition has been scheduled for 11:00pm UK time.
The match will be played on Saturday, 14 June, 2014 at the Arena Amazônia, in the city of Manaus, Brazil. Commentary for the big game will come courtesy of Guy Mowbray and ex-England international Phil Neville.
Starting right where they left off, the England team begin the group stages by taking on the side that eliminated them from the 2012 European Championships, having lost to the Italians on penalties.
What will the 2014 World Cup finals have in store for manager Roy Hodgson and his players? With both sides currently receiving similar odds from the bookmakers in terms of their chances of winning the tournament, victory for England in their opening match will likely revolve around controlling Italy’s 35-year-old playmaker, Andrea Pirlo.
Along with the English and the Italians, Group D is also being contested by Uruguay and Costa Rica.