England World Cup Draw 2014: Group, Fixtures and Squad Predictions

England, who will enter the 2014 World Cup among the second tier of contenders, now know the path they must take through the group stage.

The nation's only World Cup triumph came on home soil in 1966. Four years ago, England were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Germany. It marked the fifth straight cycle in which the Three Lions failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals.

Next summer, the top contenders will include host nation Brazil, reigning champions Spain, Germany and Argentina. England are in the next group of contenders with teams like Belgium, Italy, France and Portugal, among others. A couple of breaks will have to go their way to make a run to the final, particularly after they were handed a tough group stage draw.

With that in mind, let's examine all of the group details and take an early look at how the England squad might look for Roy Hodgson once the tournament kicks off.

Group Information

National Team	FIFA Ranking
Uruguay	6
Costa Rica	31
England	13
Italy	7

Date	Time	Opponent
June 14 (June 15 BST)	23:00 BST/18:00 ET	Italy
June 19	20:00 BST/15:00 ET	Uruguay
June 24	17:00 BST/12:00 ET	Costa Rica

England Squad Prediction

Position	Player	Club
Goalkeeper	Joe Hart	Manchester City
Goalkeeper	Fraser Forster	Celtic
Goalkeeper	Jack Butland	Stoke City
Defender	Ashley Cole	Chelsea
Defender	Gary Cahill	Chelsea
Defender	Leighton Baines	Everton
Defender	Phil Jagielka	Everton
Defender	Glen Johnson	Liverpool
Defender	Kyle Walker	Tottenham
Defender	Chris Smalling	Manchester United
Defender	Phil Jones	Manchester United
Midfielder	Steven Gerrard	Liverpool
Midfielder	Theo Walcott	Arsenal
Midfielder	Jack Wilshere	Arsenal
Midfielder	Frank Lampard	Chelsea
Midfielder	Michael Carrick	Manchester United
Midfielder	Andros Townsend	Tottenham
Midfielder	Ross Barkley	Everton
Midfielder	James Milner	Manchester City
Forward	Wayne Rooney	Manchester United
Forward	Daniel Sturridge	Liverpool
Forward	Danny Welbeck	Manchester United
Forward	Jermain Defoe	Tottenham

Perhaps the biggest key to the England squad coming together and making a deep run is Joe Hart. The Manchester City goalkeeper has endured a major drop in form and must rebound, if England want to avoid their keeper problems from the last World Cup.

The back line is pretty straightforward. Hodgson has a strong mix of veterans with big-match experience and younger players on the rise, which should allow the squad to overcome any injuries that may arise leading up to or during the tournament. Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson, Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill will likely be the starting back four.

In terms of defenders on the fringe of the squad, Michael Dawson of Tottenham and Steven Caulker of Cardiff City are both on the radar but would need to display terrific form to jump over a fellow defender. An X-factor could be Micah Richards, depending on his ability to play at the club level.

There will probably be two main debates in the midfield. The first one is between Frank Lampard and Tom Cleverley for one of the central spots in the squad, and the second is James Milner and another option for the wing, potentially an in-form Adam Lallana or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Steven Gerrard and Michael Carrick would be favourites to govern the central midfield areas, while Andros Townsend is currently the form man out wide.

Lampard will likely travel to Brazil because of his experience and the fact he can still play at a high level at the age of 35 (he'll be 36 in June). Milner will also likely receive a selection based on Hodgson's loyalty to the Manchester City midfielder so far during his tenure as England manager.

Finally, three of the four decisions up front are virtual locks, barring injury. Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck are all likely heading to Brazil as long as they are healthy when it comes time to name the final roster.

That leaves one spot for another striker. Jermain Defoe, Rickie Lambert and Andy Carroll are the three players most likely to fill the void. Wilfried Zaha and Jay Rodriguez could also be options depending on their form. Ultimately, Defoe's international track record will probably win out.