Italy will face off against Costa Rica in a first round match of the Brazil World Cup 2014 tournament, pitting two Group D teams against each other.

Italy, ranked 9th in the world by FIFA, is expected to be the favorite in the match.

The European team's coach Cesare Prandelli said his team was in better shape than England, ESPN reports. 

"England finished the match with six or seven players that were suffering with cramp," Prandelli said, according to the site.

"Our players weren't as effected. The team suffered, but we maintained the supremacy in the middle of the field. We worked well in training and it showed. It means our work paid off."

Costa Rica, ranked 28th in the world, is expected to be the underdog of the match.

The Central American team's manager Jorge Luis Pinto said he is preparing his team for upcoming challenges within the group.

"Chile almost beat Germany, England lost a few times at Wembley. The jerseys have a certain meaning, but it is not everything," he said, according to The Telegraph.

"Of course history is important, but we are playing the team of today. We must think about the team of today not the jersey of 30 years ago."

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