Italy will play Costa Rica in Group D on Friday at the World Cup 2014 tournament in Brazil. Both teams won their opening games, however, neither will feel comfortable quite yet and will want to gain a second win today to put them on the brink of qualifying for the Last 16.
The game today is scheduled to kick off at 12 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on the ESPN network. The game can also be watched online through live stream – free for subscribers – via the link provided below.
Italy defeated England in their opening game. In a very tight game, it was Mario Balotelli who proved the difference, with the striker scoring in the second half to give Italy the edge.
Costa Rica meanwhile shocked many by defeating Uruguay. That 3-1 win showed that this is no soft Costa Rica side just making up numbers, but rather they are a young and skilled team who will trouble even the top teams in this year's World Cup.
On Thursday in Group D, Uruguay defeated England 2-1, meaning if Costa Rica gain any points today against Italy then England will be eliminated from the tournament.
However, Italy will know their own place in the Last 16 is not yet confirmed and they will be wanting all three points today.
If Italy can manage to defeat both Costa Rica and Uruguay next week, then it would give England the chance to make history. If the Italy results go England's way, then they would have to defeat Costa Rica in their final game and better both Costa Rica and Uruguay's goal difference. If they can do that then they would be the first team ever to make it out of the group stages after losing both of their opening group games.
All eyes will be on Italy then as they try to gain a second straight win in this year's tournament.
The game starts at 12 p.m. EST and can be watched online by clicking here.
