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2014 FIFA World Cup Game Time Thread: Matchday No. 3

Claudio Villa

SB Nation's 2014 World Cup Bracket'

Based on the current BWRAO Twitter account feed, there's a whole lot of Italy #HASHFLAGS going on the past 24 hours and it's safe to assume the Azzurri are about to take the field today. Rumors are still trying to be confirmed, however.

/crickets/

Okay, so today is the day that Italy opens their 2014 World Cup against everybody's favorite disappointment, England. Gli Azzurri against the Three Lions. Style, grace and Dolce & Gabbana suits against ... I don't know what. exactly.

Cesare Prandelli's squad enters the tournament with a vast collection of expectations attached to their shoulders. Some expect Italy to do damage, others expect them to not do much at all. Heck, some fall right in the middle and have no clue what to expect from this current Italy squad and its mixture of experience and youth.

Then again, isn't that how it's worked with England lately? I think so.

Sure, there's not as many legendary figures on the roster in 2006, but that's the same kind of mix that the 2014 edition has a bit of. Not the same overall quality, obviously, but there's still plenty of talent for Prandelli's squad to do something of note in Brazil this summer.

Of course to do that, it all starts today against England. The same England squad that has its own press preparing the general public for failure weeks before the World Cup began. Hey, gotta laugh at somebody, right? Poor, England.

Eh, not really.

But just because Italy is in action doesn't mean that it ends there in terms of Juventus-related things at the World Cup. Martin Caceres and Uruguay is the other Group D game today as they face Uruguay in the match before Italy vs. England.

SATURDAY'S SCHEDULE

Group C: Greece vs. Colombia, 1 p.m. local time, 12 p.m. on the East Coast, 9 a.m. on the West Coast

Group D: Uruguay vs. Costa Rica, 4 p.m. local time, 3 p.m. on the East Coast, 12 p.m. on the West Coast

Group D: Italy vs. England, 7 p.m. local time, 6 p.m. on the East Coast, 3 p.m. on the West Coast

Group C: Ivory Coast vs. Japan, 10 p.m. local time, 9 p.m. on the East Coast, 6 p.m. on the West Coast