Imran Wood:, external Prediction. 1st Spain. 2nd England. 3rd Germany. 4th Portugal. Spain to beat Brazil 2nd round & Portugal to beat Argentina quarters.

As the clock ticks round to 11:00 BST, these are the top stories from World Cup 2014.

Bong.

England will send a member of their backroom staff to run the rule over the pitch in Manaus after the head groundsman in charge of the surface for their World Cup opener against Italy admitted it is "in bad shape".

Bong.

Gary Neville's tactical notes ahead of the meeting with the Azzurri have been snapped by a photographer and seem to suggest that the midfielders have been given licence to bomb on beyond Daniel Sturridge.

Bong.

National team boss Luiz Felipe Scolari has told his fellow Brazilians that "this is our World Cup".

Image source, PA

Argentina, led by Diego Maradona, were stunned as Francois Omam-Biyik's header saw Cameroon open the tournament with a 1-0 win over the favourites in Milan. An abiding memory of that game is Argentina forward Claudio Caniggia being taken out by Benjamin Massing's flying horizontal body check.

You can watch highlights of the match as part of our 100 great World Cup moments series.

England have the third most valuable squad at the World Cup behind Germany and Spain, according to a report.

With an estimated insurable value of £550m, England are almost three times more valuable than group rivals Italy.

The study by Lloyds and the Centre for Economics and Business Research lists the average value of one England player as more than the whole Costa Rica team.

The insurance-related figures are based on club earnings and endorsement incomes of the 23-man World Cup squads.

Former England captain Rio Ferdinand is backing home skipper Thiago Silva to lead Brazil to their sixth World Cup.

"For me, Brazil's Thiago Silva is the best centre-half in the world. I played against him when he was at AC Milan. Brazil are my tip for the title - they are playing at home, they are used to the conditions, they have a good defence and they have Neymar," says the ex-Manchester United defender on Match of the Day's preview show.

Image source, @fatheaduk

Fat Heads: , externalAll ready and excited for the start if the World Cup works fridge all stocked up with beers.

Where will you be watching the World Cup from #myworldcupseat, external is the place to show us.

Image source, Getty Images

Nothing would bring the samba beat to a grinding halt faster than a Croatia victory over hosts Brazil. There have been bigger shocks on the opening day of World Cups past as well.

Back in 2002, defending champions France were humbled by former colony Senegal as El Hadji Diouf set up Papa Bouba Diop for the game's only goal.

Former England midfielder Paul Scholes urges Three Lions coach Roy Hodgson to put his faith in his younger players.

"There is no point taking people like Raheem Sterling or Ross Barkley to Brazil 'for the experience'," wrote the former England international in his blog for Paddy Power., external "Play them."

He added: "Some people might say it's risky. But these players have the fitness and ability to get the ball back if they lose it."

Sophie L:, external Predictions: 1st. Argentina, 2nd. Germany, 3rd. Brazil, 4th. Uruguay

South American football expert Tim Vickery says Brazil is cutting some of its World Cup preparations "a bit fine", but is ready to host the tournament.

"The stadium in Sao Paulo has not been tested to its full capacity and will the airports be able to cope carrying the huge amount of passengers?" Vickery said on Match of the Day's preview show.

"We might also have one or two protests. However, there is a lot of enthusiasm, with the tickets sales very strong. You're beginning to feel the magic of the event. For Brazil in a World Cup - there are no half measures. The people who will be most nervous are the authorities if Brazil get off to a bad start. The nightmare for them is if Brazil get eliminated early."

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport's chief football writer in Brazil

"Early start at Rio airport for the flight to Manaus - and there is a vast Australian presence as they head for their opening game against Chile in Cuiaba.

"Chile's fans are also out in force as this finally feels like a city touched by genuine World Cup fervour.

"It has been a long build-up but the show is finally ready to hit the road."

Former England rugby union coach and one-time Southampton director of football Sir Clive Woodward believes that a draw against Italy in their opening World Cup group game on Saturday would be a failure by England.

"I hope Roy Hodgson banishes any thought of 'a draw will do'," he writes in the Daily Mail. , external

"Take risks, create the mindset: 'We must win'. Pick a team to score goals. Erase any negative thoughts about the heat and the jungle conditions and playing slowly. Let's surprise Italy, give them the unexpected, win the game before the opponents realise they are in a game."

One of the best things about a World Cup is that everyone, from your grandma to the Pope, shows an interest in the tournament. While you're not bothered about the former's opinion, the latter has taken to Twitter (yes, Pope Francis is on Twitter) to wish luck to all 32 teams.

"I wish everyone a wonderful World Cup, played in a spirit of true fraternity," tweets the leader of the Catholic Church.

Shouldn't Argentina-born Pope Francis be supporting Lionel Messi and the boys?

Image source, Reuters

Former England captain Alan Shearer thinks Brazil and star man Neymar will thrive on the pressure of being the host nation.

"Neymar can take a lot of hope from how his team handled the pressure at the Confederations Cup last year," says Shearer on Match of the Day.

"He had a fantastic tournament - scoring four goals. I enjoyed the pressure at Euro '96 and I think Neymar and his team-mates enjoy the pressure too."

As the clock ticks round to 10:00 BST, these are today's top stories from World Cup 2014.

Bong.

England will send a member of their backroom staff to run the rule over the pitch in Manaus after the head groundsman in charge of the surface for their World Cup opener against Italy admitted it is "in bad shape".

Bong.

Gary Neville's tactical notes ahead of the meeting with the Azzurri have been snapped by a photographer and seem to suggest that the midfielders have been given licence to bomb on beyond Daniel Sturridge.

Bong.

National team boss Luiz Felipe Scolari has told his fellow Brazilians that "this is our World Cup".

Roan, Birmingham, via text: Would love to see Luka Modric and the gang conjure up one of the great World Cup upsets tonight and get us off to a good start!

Soon-to-be former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand, who is out in Brazil as a BBC Sport pundit, on Twitter:, external Up early....5:50am....first day of the World Cup..can't wait! Going to a favela then to Rafael and Fabio's house to watch Brazil and food!! Good day.

Image source, @podolski10

Germany striker Lukas Podolski and Arsenal team-mate Mesut Ozil have taken time out from training to pose with part of their security detail.

Spain's stars are known for using their heads. Their 2010 World Cup triumph, not to mention back-to-back European Championships, was based on intelligent football from the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta, not because the tika-taka masters like to lump the ball into the air. But if they do decide to go down the aerial route, then veteran coach Vicente Del Bosque can show them to keep possession using their foreheads.

Check out a grinning Del Bosque's impressive juggling skills in the 'Highlights' tab at the top of this page.

Image source, @barnyobarnyo

Ste Barnett: , externalBeen a busy few days in the office. This is probably more sturdy than half the stadiums in #Brazil

Where will you be watching the World Cup from #myworldcupseat, external is the place to tell, and preferably, show us.