World Cup 2014: England to inspect Manaus pitch
England will send a member of their backroom staff to inspect the
pitch at the Arena Amazonia on Thursday ahead of their World Cup
opener against Italy at the stadium on Saturday.
The grass appeared in a poor state on Wednesday, with pictures
revealing dry, brown marks across the surface.
England fly into Manaus on Thursday, and are due to train at the Arena
Amazonia the following day.
The stadium, which holds 39,118 people, was constructed last year.
Roy Hodgson’s side will train at their hotel in Manaus, which is
located in the north-west of Brazil, on Thursday.
Italy do not arrive in the city until Friday.
After their Group D opener, which kicks off at 23:00 BST on Saturday,
England face Uruguay in Sao Paulo on 19 June and Costa Rica in Belo
Horizonte five days later. (BBC Sports)