Down but not out England goes up against Uruguay today in a Group D battle that could get ugly.
With the BBC comparing both teams to wounded animal, it's easy to see how anything could occur as they face off. Both teams are motivated to avenge their opening match losses, so this 'friendly' is considered a must-win.
The match is slated for Thursday, June 19 and will air at 3 p.m. EST on ESPN. Live stream can be watched online free on the ITV Player in the UK or the WatchESPN Player in the US.
Most English fans seemed to respond well to the effort their boys put in against Italy in their first game, despite England losing. Uruguay heard it after their performance against Costa Rica, being called dull and uninspired.
The build up to the match has been dominated by a tale of two strikers. The physical fitness of Luis Suarez has been called into question, as he tries to come back from knee surgery. He is Uruguay's all-time goalscorer, who put in three at the last World Cup. Liverpool's striker is a national hero and his hobbled play seems to have affected the rest of the squad.
On the other side, there is England's Wayne Rooney, just 11 goals shy of Sir Bobby Charlton's all-time English goalscoring record. Because of injury threat, at this point he is not certain to play either, although it is being reported by the Independent that he was given the starting job in practice on Tuesday, and is ready to go.
Via his Facebook page, Rooney vented frustration Monday at the press for speculating that he would not be in the line-up Thursday, after he was spotted practicing with some of the backup players.
"Sometimes wonder what the press are getting at," Rooney posted. "I said from the start I want to do everything I can to make sure I'm ready for these World Cup games and as part of that I was doing extra training a week before the squad joined up. That's exactly what I did, my own extra training because that's what I wanted to do."
For Uruguay to find victory, they have to find their hunger again. They came into the World Cup on a five game winning streak, and may have found the wall of complacency against Costa Rica.
For England, victory is on the feet on of Wayne Rooney and Roy Hodgson. If they can play inspired, then they could find a way to win.
Prediction: The English want it real bad, but Uruguay probably won't lose two in a row. An exciting match leaves us with a 2-2 draw.
