England and Italy's footballing rivalry is a long, if unremarkable one, with tensions rarely more fraught than they were during the 1934 clash at Arsenal's ground, which was dubbed the "Battle of Highbury".
It took Italy 40 years to beat England, and when they completed a 1973 double over them, future Three Lions coach Fabio Capello scored both in Turin and at Wembley, as Alf Ramsey's tenure ended miserably.
A goalless 1980 European Championship contest was matched 32 years later at Euro 2012, while in between Gianfranco Zola ended Ian Walker's international career in a 1997 World Cup qualifier, only for England to gallantly register a draw in the final match in Rome to secure automatic qualification ahead of the Azzurri.
Both sides will meet for the 24th time in Manaus on Saturday. Two European nations in the Amazon for their first World Cup match has all the makings of a tepid draw...
