England vs Uruguay ESPN Start Time: World Cup 2014 Football Preview (TV Details)
England will play Uruguay in a massive World Cup 2014 Group D game on Thursday. Both teams lost their opening games, and so if either team loses here today they will be eliminated from the competition with a group game still remaining. The game will kick off at 3 p.m. ET and can be watched on TV on the ESPN network.
The big team news ahead of Thursday's game is that Uruguay striker Luis Suarez has been declared fit to play in today's game. He has been out following knee surgery a month ago, but has taken part in training over recent days and he will start against England.
Suarez was badly missed by his teammates in their opening game against Costa Rica, and he could only sit and watch as his team was defeated 1-3 in a shock result in Group D.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
However, he will be back today, although some question how match fit he will be after a lengthy time off injured. This will be his first competitive game for more than a month.
In other Uruguay team news, captain Diego Lugano is out with a knee injury, and will miss the game.
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez has said about Suarez, "If he plays, we must consider the possibility that he's not as well as he was during the Premier League season. Even when he's not 100% he's someone who can give a lot to this team. That's what we're considering now."
Meanwhile, for England the news has all been about Wayne Rooney, and whether manager Roy Hodgson will keep faith in his star striker.
Rooney has now played in nine World Cup games without scoring a goal, and although he assisted with the England goal against Italy and played reasonably well, he did not look as dangerous playing so wide. Some are questioning whether he should be dropped, or if he does get the nod, then whether he should play a more central role just behind Daniel Sturridge.
Rooney is just 11 goals short of the England record for goals scored in an international career, and he will hope he can finally break his World Cup duck and get on the score sheet today to help his country to three vital points.
Some media sources highlighted that Rooney was seen playing with backup team members on Monday, leading many to suggest he was going to be dropped for the Uruguay game. However, he clarified that he was simply doing extra training and working out with other squad members: "I said from the start I want to do everything I can to make sure I'm ready for these World Cup games... That's exactly what I did (on Monday), my own extra training because that's what I wanted to do."
Meanwhile, Suarez, who had a fantastic season for Liverpool in the English Premier League has confidently said that he knows what weaknesses England have, and he will look to exploit them: "I know all the players in the England squad either because they're my team-mates or because I've faced them. They have some defensive flaws we can exploit."
Both teams know this is basically a must-win game if they are to stand a chance of getting out of the group, so expect a tense and dramatic affair today.
England vs Uruguay will kick off at 3 p.m. ET and can be watched on TV on the ESPN network.
