England vs. Italy: What Friendly Matchup Means for Both Countries

There is no doubt that England would love to erase some of the sting of their Euro defeat to Italy, but they are going to have to wait for another opportunity.

The loss in the quarterfinals of Euro 2012 on penalties will have to be avenged another day because the teams taking the pitch here will bear little resemblance to the ones in the tournament.

Their Aug. 15 friendly in Switzerland is not about which country has the superior football side, but more about which one has a brighter future. 

The BBC has a quote from England manager Roy Hodgson highlighting this fact: 

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I'm hoping to see a few things that excite me and give me hope that we can put a squad together during the next couple of years. 

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So to this end, there are going to be plenty of new faces in these two lineups. 

Italy's manager Cesare Prandelli named a whopping eight uncapped players for this friendly. Among the fresh faces for Italy are a trio of AC Milan players with Stephan El Shaarawy, Mattia De Sciglio and Francesco Acerbi. Also set to make their debut with the senior club are Genoa goalkeeper Mattia Perin along with Sampdoria midfielder Andrea Poli. 

Not to be outdone, England isn't going to run players like Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Theo Walcott or Wayne Rooney onto the pitch, but they will see Tom Cleverley, Jake Livermore and Steven Caulker.

One of the more interesting aspects of the squad England is throwing out there is the goalkeepers: Norwich City's John Ruddy and Jack Butland, the teenager from Birmingham City. 

While all of these newbies will be trying their hardest to make an individual impression leading up to the 2014 World Cup, there is no doubt that the managers will want to see how they fit in with the players around them. 

England has to improve their possession. They must be able to hold onto the ball and consistently create looks. Any newcomer will be well served to make smart and efficient decisions. 

Italy will want to get a look at how these players will fit into their system. They found success at Euro 2012 with a bit more freelancing, I'm not sure Mario Balotelli knows how to play any other way, but they still are heavily reliant on their system.

For all of these reasons, there is plenty of intrigue in this match, but the search for revenge will have to wait.