England vs Uruguay will be a huge showdown on Thursday from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, as both teams battle it out to stay in contention for a place in the Round of 16.
Today's massive game will kick off at 3 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN. The game will also be available to watch online – free for subscribers – via the link provided below.
Both teams have big news ahead of the game. For Uruguay, star striker Luis Suarez has been declared fit and will play. The striker had a phenomenal season for Liverpool in England this season, and his team will look to him to provide inspiration to raise them game from a lackluster performance in their opening game – which they lost 1-3 to Costa Rica.
Meanwhile, England's Wayne Rooney is set to start the game. Many have been calling for him to be dropped for today's crunch game, but all indications ahead of the match from manager Roy Hodgson are that he will keep faith in Rooney, but may move him into a more central and forward position.
The last time England and Uruguay played was in 2006 at Anfield, where England won 2-1 with goals from Peter Crouch and Joe Cole.
The challenge for both of these teams is immense; only four teams – equating to just 8.7 percent of teams – have managed to qualify for the Last 16 of the World Cup after losing an opening game of the tournament since 1998.
Although both teams lost their opening games, England were generally praised for a much better performance than many were expecting. They in fact had the highest pass completion rate in an opposition's half out of every country in the World Cup in the first round of games. They recorded their highest ever World Cup overall pass completion rate – 91 percent.
Uruguay on the other hand were widely criticized for a poor performance, lacking in inspiration and cohesiveness. However, with both teams recording zero points, they find themselves in the same position coming into today's game.
England vs Uruguay will kick off at 3 p.m. EST and can be watched by clicking here.
Watch a preview video of England vs Uruguay below:
