• Milan defender goes for tests, with Ranocchia on standby • Italy vow to keep the ball on the ground against England

Italy have lost their first-choice left-back Mattia De Sciglio to injury for the England game after the defender hurt his right leg in a training session on Thursday. The Italian team have confirmed that De Sciglio was taken to hospital for tests and will be concerned about missing the whole of the World Cup.

The Italy coach, Cesare Prandelli, has until 24 hours before the Azzurri’s opening match to replace injured players. If De Sciglio’s injury is serious, Prandelli could draft in Andrea Ranocchia, who is with the squad as a 24th man. Against England, Juventus’s Giorgio Chiellini may move over from central defence and Leonardo Bonucci or Gabriel Paletta could play in the centre

Andrea Barzagli, meanwhile, has said that Italy will do everything they can to keep the ball on the ground when they face England, despite the poor state of the pitch in Manaus. The Italy defender, one of six Juventus players in the squad, admitted on Friday that Prandelli’s team would have little to gain from playing long balls in the heat.

“We have tried different ways of making life difficult for the English defence. Ball on the ground, always, never in the air, because our opponents are very strong in the air. The organisers will do everything they can to get the pitch in a good state.”

The 33-year-old, who was a member of Italy’s World Cup winning squad in 2006, added: “We know that [Wayne] Rooney is a player with a lot of experience and quality but he is only one of four top players who England have in attack, and they can count on their young players with lots of energy as well.”

Italy beat England on penalties at Euro 2012 at the quarter-final stage and they are looking to go far again. “[Andrea] Pirlo says that we can win the World Cup? Well, that’s the right mentality to have. We certainly have the right mentality and we have to think that we can do extraordinary things this summer,” said Barzagli.

“The group of players in the squad in 2006 had a lot of international experience but this is a good group of players as well. And the whole squad will be needed as well, everyone can contribute, just like in 2006 when I started as the fourth central defender but still made a contribution.”