The opening round Group C match between the Ivory Coast and Japan is a very difficult match to predict as both teams are loaded with question marks. Is this going to be the Japanese team that beat Belgium and held the Netherlands to a draw? Or is this the Japanese team that lost to Belarus? […]

Saturday evening at 6pm ET/3pm PT, and the late hour of 11pm UK time, England will face Italy in what should prove to be a fascinating encounter between two giants in International soccer. However, in recent days the upcoming match has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons as the state of the […]

The road to Rio begins for Uruguay and Costa Rica at Estadio Castelao in Fortaleza. This is an incredibly important match for each side, with the next two games being against top European squads in the form of England and Italy. It’s always important to get the tournament off on the right foot, but especially […]

After two days of matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the implication of the results thus far have direct impacts on the odds of teams advancing and winning the World Cup. Thanks to Chris McFarland at ShareDraft.com, here are the 7 most revealing odds after days 1-2 of the tournament. 1. Spain drops from […]

After the 2010 South African World Cup sham, Italy arrives at the World Cup as the Euro 2012 runners-up and one of the most talented teams in the tournament. The Azzurri will play into the group D, together with England, Costa Rica and Uruguay. On the eve of the first game against England, Italians have […]

The past week of build-up to England’s Group D opening game against Italy has been dominated by discussions on the importance of Wayne Rooney to Roy Hodgson’s side. Triggered by Paul Scholes’ assertion that Rooney might be “worn out” and past his peak, it seems like everyone has an opinion on the value Rooney actually […]

Historic. Shocking. Amazing. Unbelievable. It's no exaggeration that all of these words are applicable when talking about the Netherlands-Spain game especially because the whole of the Netherlands had virtually written off their chances of even getting out of the group. Soccer. This wonderful, crazy and inexplicable game turns on moments. Moments of skill. Moments of […]

Free of the shackles that have hampered squads of yesteryear, this young, vibrant England side are ready to be unleashed on the world stage. Roy Hodgson will field an XI bristling with youthful exuberance and underpinned by a few experiences figures; a marriage that will see the Three Lions surprise plenty in Brazil. That’s the […]

England and Italy is a match-up with a lot of history, and as the two soccer powers prepare to face each other Saturday, England fans need to know an important fact – this is not the Italy team you are used to seeing. In fact, understanding how Cesare Prandelli has changed the Azzurri is key […]

As part of World Soccer Talk's participation in the bwin World Cup Blogger's League, today we look at the England v Italy game, predict the World Cup winner and make a Golden boot prediction. Make sure to share your own tips with us on Twitter and help us win the league!

In the modern game, we have lost out on the candid and honest interview in the media. That’s why the sound bites after Brazil’s 3-1 victory over Croatia were so good. Croatian coach Niko Kovac was right to say after the match about referee Yuichi Nishimura, “I had a feeling that the referee had one […]

Colombia and Greece will begin their World Cup campaigns Saturday at 12:00 EST in Belo Horizonte. The opening match is sure to be a tightly contested affair with plenty of first match jitters for both sides. Colombia comes into the match ranked 8th in the FIFA World Rankings and finished a mere 2 points behind […]

The Uruguayan national team is poised to make a run deep into the World Cup once again. This team is a bit longer on the tooth, but there are some individuals that are in the peak of their careers that will be vital for any type of pretensions they may have going into the World […]

American World Cup Defender John Anthony Brooks who was a somewhat controversial inclusion in Jurgen Klinsmann's United States selection is being chased by multiple Premier League clubs according to Sky Sports. The 21-year-old Hertha Berlin man played for both the Germany and the United States' Youth National Teams before committing to the USA for his senior […]

ESPN's telecast of the opening match of the 2014 World Cup between Brazil and Croatia netted a 2.8 rating and 4.4 million viewers. The number of viewers was 55% higher than the opening match of the 2010 World Cup between South Africa and Mexico, but 14% lower than Univision's numbers for the same Brazil-Croatia opener. The […]