MANAUS - Cloying humidity and a parched pitch will add to the sense of danger when England and Italy launch their World Cup campaigns in the steamy Amazon jungle city of Manaus on Saturday. With South American champions Uruguay also lurking in Group D, along with Costa Rica, both Roy Hodgson’s England and Cesare Prandelli’s Italy approach the game knowing they can scarcely afford to lose if they are to reach the last 16. The teams last met in the quarterfinals of the 2012 European Championship in Kiev, when Italy prevailed on penalties after a 0-0 draw that they largely dominated. Possession of the ball will be key amid the intense heat, but England striker Wayne Rooney is convinced that his side now possess the weapons to unsettle opponents of Italy’s calibre. “We’ve got a lot of energy, a lot of pace in the team, and if we can pick the right moments, we can really hurt teams with the pace and tempo that we can hit them at,” said the Manchester United forward. “But in international football, you can’t just go out there and attack, attack, attack. We have to be a bit cautious. While expectations of an English triumph in the final on July 13 are low, Hodgson’s squad is dotted with exciting young players who thrilled neutrals during the 2013-14 Premier League season. Rooney and the livewire Sterling are vying for the number 10 role in England’s 4-2-3-1 formation, and whoever plays there will have the responsibility of keeping Andrea Pirlo under close surveillance. Eight years after masterminding Italy’s triumph at the 2006 tournament in Germany, the 35-year-old Pirlo is embarking upon his final World Cup. Italy are seeking to atone for their wretched showing at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, when the holders crashed out in the first round. Notoriously slow starters, the Azzurri were held to draws by the Republic of Ireland and lowly Luxembourg in their only official warm-up matches, but Pirlo has promised that they will be ready for England. “We know England are a great team who have improved a lot with new, young players coming in,” said the Juventus playmaker, who tipped the balance of the Euro 2012 shootout in Italy’s favour with an audacious Panenka.
