England and Italy prepare to duel in Amazon heat

Derek Wilson, dpa

Uruguay take on Costa Rica in the other Group D game while in Group C Colombia play Greece and the Ivory Coast tackle Japan in an action packed day.

"We really feel like a team, and we feel ready," said England keeper Joe Hart. "We know what we've got, we know what we're capable of."

Coach Roy Hodgson has Manchester United forward Danny Welbeck available after he returned to training following injury, while Italian counterpart Cesare Prandelli must also make a decision on his front line.

Mario Balotelli looked a certain starter but has come under pressure from Lorenzo Insigne and Ciro Immobile, who bagged three goals in the Azzurri's final warm-up game against local side Fluminense.

Uruguay had veteran duo Diego Forlan and captain Diego Lugano return to training Thursday, and though Luis Suarez did likewise, it is not yet known if he will face Costa Rica.

The Costa Ricans, coached by Jorge Luis Pinto, are considered major underdogs in a group which contains three former World Cup winners.

In Group C, Colombia are without star Monaco striker Radamel Falcao but coach Jose Pekerman retains several options in attack. In addition to River Plate's Teofilo Guiterrez, Carlos Bacca, Adrian Ramos and Jackson Martinez all scored regularly for clubs in Spain, Germany and Portugal respectively this season.

Colombia will be tested to the extreme by a miserly Greece defence which conceded only four times to finish second in qualifying, though the loss of two goals to Romania in the play-off shows the Greek back line is not infallible.

In the other Group C match, the Ivory Coast will hope Yaya Toure is fit following a hamstring injury to play against Japan, who have captain Makoto Hasebe available after a knee problem.