ENGLAND'S opening World Cup 2014 clash against Italy isn't 'make or break' – according to Grimsby Town boss Paul Hurst.
Roy Hodgson's men kick-off their campaign this evening in the Brazilian city of Manaus (11pm).
While many pundits and fans believe the Azzurri are there for the taking after arriving at the tournament in poor form, Hurst isn't so sure.
After drawing with Luxembourg and Ireland in the build-up, Hurst is backing the four-time winners to come good on the big stage once again.
And he believes next week's clash with Uruguay in Sao Paulo will be far more important to England's hopes of progressing to the knockout stages.
"Italy have definitely been struggling for form recently," the Mariners boss conceded.
"But they seem to find their form more often than not in the big tournaments, that's for sure.
"I've seen all the comments about how important that opening game is, and how it can put you on the back foot if you lose it or set you up if you win.
"But the Uruguay match after that is the big one for me.
"If we manage to beat them then we've got a great chance of making it through, and that seems more likely to me."
Along with millions of others, Hurst will be enjoying a festival of football over the next four weeks – and hoping the Three Lions can do us all proud.
"I'll be glued to the TV, without a doubt," he added. "And it will be slightly different to the majority of games I watched last year!
"But seriously, it will be interesting to watch all the different styles, and the World Cup usually throws up a few new players to get excited about as well.
"Of course, we'll all be watching England closely, and fingers- crossed the players can produce the goods.
"It's very different this time with the expectation levels so low, and it's almost like we've done really well if we get through the group.
"They've got a great chance of doing that and maybe going a bit further."
