World Cup 2014 TV schedule: Who to watch Saturday
On Saturday, there will be four World Cup matches played. The first at noon is Colombia vs. Greece. Then, Uruguay vs. Costa Rica at 3 p.m, followed by Italy vs. England, and finally Ivory Coast vs. Japan.
Italy forward Mario Balotelli aka "SuperMario" attends at an official training session the day before the group D World Cup soccer match between England and Italy at the Arena da Amazonia in Manaus, Brazil. Italy and England play at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
(AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
This is a World Cup Couch Potato's biggest day. Saturday offers the most matches (four) in in a single day of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
But the must-see TV for real aficionados of the beautiful game will likely be the 6 p.m. Group D match (on ESPN and Univsion) between England and Italy.
Most pundits pick Italy to win, although neither team had a stellar path into the World Cup.
Italy struggled against Ireland and Luxembourg. But when the the Azzurri get on a larger stage, they tend to rise to the occasion.
England had no trouble with Peru in the qualifying game, But labored to get draws against Honduras and Ecuador.
"At times they look like a team that is capable of winning the World Cup, but most other times they look like a team that has a lot of very high paid English Premier League players, says Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl.
Who will show up on Saturday? Not surprisingly, England captain Steven Gerrard says he will be leading the better team, according to The Telegraph.
"I think we're a better team, I think we're a better squad, I think confidence is higher, preparation's gone really well, not just over the last three-four weeks but in all the qualifications game, we've been moving forward in the right direction and grown as a team, trying to improve. But now we know we're going to get judged on the games coming up, and hopefully we can go out and prove to everyone that we have moved forward a lot and improved a lot as a team."
The first match of the day - Colombia vs. Greece - kicks off at 12 p.m. EDT on ABC and Univision.
Colombia, which returns to the World Cup for the first time in 16 years, has the edge according to most football pundits. It's probably the strongest team in Group C. Expect Greece to play defense and look to score on counterattacks.
At 3 p.m. on ABC and Univision, you can watch Uruguay vs. Costa Rica. Uruguay is considered the strongest team in Group D, but there's a big caveat today: The team's star striker Luis Suarez isn't expected to start due to injury. He may substitute in Saturday's game, and is expected to start in the next game on Thursday.
Costa Rica will be looking to play past the group stage for the first time since 1990.
Finally, the last World Cup match of the day will feature Ivory Coast vs. Japan at 9 p.m. on ESPN and Univision.
This is a tough match to predict a winner. Here's how SB Nation's Jack Sargeant sees it:
Both of these sides are better at attacking than defending, meaning we should see a few goals. While Japan's nimble forwards will surely feast on the shaky Ivorian back line, expect Ivory Coast to try and [take] advantage of any space they find on the break. However, Japan's superior defensive organisation and outstanding high pressing could ultimately prove to be the difference against one of the oldest teams at the World Cup.
Not going to be near a TV Saturday? Watch on the Univision website or download the free Univision mobile app. Or if you're a cable-TV subscriber, you can watch on the WatchESPN app.