After his side were drawn in arguably one of the most difficult groups with England, Uruguay and Costa Rica, Cesare Prandelli has stated that he is not worried ahead of the 2014 World Cup:
"There are three former world champions in the group, but we are not worried. When the media say that you are in an easy group, that is when you have to begin to worry."
"I am only worried about the climatic conditions because no matter which side you are up against, you will have to deal with the weather. However, we have already played in these conditions during the Confederations Cup, so we are aware of the conditions and what problems they can present."
When asked who he felt would be the toughest opponents Italy are to face, Prandelli surprisingly replied:
"Costa Rica, because we do not know a lot about their players."