Sao Paulo, Brazil - The World Cup kicks off in style today as host nation Brazil battles Croatia in the opening match of Group A play at the Arena de Sao Paulo. Adidas Continental 80 Baratas . Follow all the action live on TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto, 690 in Montreal, 1260 in Edmonton and on TEAM 1410 beginning at 4pm et/1pm pt. As the host country, the pressure is squarely on the shoulder of the Brazilian squad to make good on their status as pre-tournament favorites and win their sixth World Cup title. The key for Brazil will be how manager Luiz Felipe Scolari does with keeping his young team on an even keel in front of their home crowd. Leading the star-studded Brazilian team is 22-year-old Neymar, who figures to be one of the faces of the tournament. The Barcelona man is viewed as the future of the Brazilian national team, and he made quite an introduction for himself at last summers Confederations Cup, scoring four goals in the tournament and helping Brazil to a 3-0 win over Spain in the final, which earned him recognition as the best player in the competition. Experienced players such as Ronaldinho, Kaka and Robinho were left off the Confederations Cup roster, and were replaced by youngsters Fred and Hulk, who will help Neymar with the scoring onus. Scolari has a plethora of options in midfield with creative players like Chelsea trio Ramires, Oscar and Willian, while Inter Milans Hernanes is another offensive option. Defensively, experienced goalkeeper Julio Cesar will anchor a group that includes David Luiz, Thiago Silva and Dante as options in the middle, while full backs Dani Alves and Marcelo give the team plenty going forward in two- way roles. Croatia, meanwhile, returns to the worlds biggest footballing stage after missing the 2010 event in South Africa. Croatian head coach Niko Kovac is armed with a talented roster that certainly has a fighting chance to reach the knockout stage, despite a difficult draw. Kovacs club is led by a strong midfield which contains Real Madrids Luka Modric and Sevillas Ivan Rakitic. The former Tottenham man, Modric, will be responsible for generating offense from his midfield position and feeding the ball forward to players like Mario Mandzukic and Ivica Olic. The presence of Rakitic will help Modric in the middle of the field, while both Mandzukic and Olic will be responsible for putting away the chances. Olic will have to carry the offensive load against Brazil, however, as Mandzukic will be unavailable after he was sent off in the clubs qualifying victory over Iceland. Croatia will have one big miss in midfield as Niko Kranjcar will not feature in the tournament due to a hamstring injury. Kranjcar has totaled 16 goals in 81 international appearances, and his experience will be missed in a midfield short on depth. Captain Darijo Srna anchors the back line with considerable international experience, having been capped 110 times for his country. Hell need to keep his defenders organized and clam on the ball against the likes of Brazil and Mexico if the side is to reach the knockout round for the first time since 1998. Brazil hosted the World Cup once before, in 1950, and that team was also expected to hoist the trophy, but were upset by Uruguay in the final. That defeat is still talked about in Brazil today, so the current team will aim to make sure they get off to a winning start. Adidas NMD R1 Baratas . Bayern winger Franck Ribery marked his league return after recovering from a cracked rib by scoring two goals and setting up two more as the league leaders inflicted the heaviest home defeat on Bremen in the Bundesliga. Adidas Ultra Boost 19 Baratas . Donald Young lost in straight sets to Israels Dudi Sela 6-3, 6-0. Querrey, ranked No. 61, is the second-highest ranked American, ahead of Johnson (64). http://www.baratasnmd.com/adidas-falcon-baratas.html .com) - A chant of Zeke reverberated around AT&T Stadium before Ezekiel Elliott powered into the end zone for his fourth and final touchdown.ROME -- Giuseppe Rossi and Antonio Cassano were called up for World Cup fitness tests Friday by Italy coach Cesare Prandelli, while in-form forward Mattia Destro was left out while serving a three-match ban in Serie A. Prandelli will have athletic tests and medical exams performed on 42 players Monday and Tuesday at the national teams Coverciano training complex in Florence. The tests will be designed to simulate hot and humid match conditions in Brazil, and Prandelli has said the data collected will weigh heavily on selections for his final 23-man list for the June 12-July 13 tournament. Rossi was Serie As top scorer until he re-injured his problematic right knee in January and has only recently begun training again. Cassano hasnt played for Italy since helping the squad to a runner-up finish at the 2012 European Championship but hes had a stellar season at Parma with 11 goals. Destro scored a hat trick for Roma last weekend and has compiled 13 goals in 18 matches since starting his injury-delayed season in December. But his three-goal performance was marred when he punched Cagliari defender Davide Astori, resulting in the ban. Prandelli has a strict code of ethics that limits call-ups for players who get into trouble with their clubs. Veteran forwards Francesco Totti, Luca Toni and Antonio Di Natale were also left out, despite solid seasons. Mario Balotelli leads the list of forwards who were included, with Torinos Ciro Immobile also in. The 24-year-old Immobile is tied with Carlos Tevez for the Serie A scoring lead with 18 goals each. Two players received their first call-ups: Domenico Berardi, a 19-year-old forward with Sassuolo who scored four goals against AC Milan earlier this season; and Brazilian-born Hellas Verona midfielder Romulo. Also included was 17-year-old goalkeeper Simone Scuffet, who has burst onto the scene with Udinese this season and has already been hailed as the next Gianluigi Buffon. Players based outside Italy were not called up -- although only for logistical reasons. Adidas NMD R1 Hombre Rebajas. Paris Saint-Germain midfielders Thiago Motta and Marco Verratti and goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu will still be considered for the World Cup. As will Zenit St. Petersburg fullback Domenico Criscito and attacking midfielder Alessandro Diamanti, who recently joined Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande. Fullback Christian Maggio, who was hospitalized with a collapsed lung last month and has not been cleared to play again yet, was also left out. Half of the players will be tested Monday and the others Tuesday. FIFA requires Prandelli to submit a preliminary 30-man list for the World Cup on May 13, with the final 23-man list to be submitted June 2. Italy is in Group D with England, Uruguay and Costa Rica. ------ Squad: Goalkeepers: Francesco Bardi (Livorno), Antonio Mirante (Parma), Mattia Perin (Genoa), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Simone Scuffet (Udinese). Defenders: Davide Astori (Cagliari), Matteo Darmian (Torino), Lorenzo De Silvestri (Sampdoria), Gabriel Paletta (Parma), Manuel Pasqual (Fiorentina), Andrea Ranocchia (Inter Milan); Ignazio Abate (AC Milan), Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Mattia De Sciglio (AC Milan). Midfielders: Alberto Aquilani (Fiorentina), Daniele Baselli (Atalanta), Federico Bernardeschi (Crotone), Andrea Bertolacci (Genoa), Giacomo Bonaventura (Atalanta), Antonio Candreva (Lazio), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Marco Parolo (Parma), Romulo (Hellas Verona), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (AC Milan), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus), Andrea Poli (AC Milan). Forwards: Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Antonio Cassano (Parma), Alessio Cerci (Torino), Manolo Gabbiadini (Sampdoria), Alberto Gilardino (Genoa), Ciro Immobile (Torino), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Giuseppe Rossi (Fiorentina), Simone Zaza (Sassuolo), Mario Balotelli (AC Milan), Stephan El Shaarawy (AC Milan), Pablo Osvaldo (Juventus). ' ' '