Can you last the pace in the heat of Manaus? Take our test now

It promises to be a huge battle in Brazil for England as they face Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica but they will have an even sterner test trying to cope with the conditions they will face in South America.

Roy Hodgson’s boys will face sweltering conditions when they face the Italians in their World Cup opener in the middle of the Amazonian rainforest and will have to face 30 degree heat compared to what they normally would find for an international match in this country.

The 80% humidity they will face coupled with temperature means players will lose up to 3.5 litres of sweat an hour compared to 2 litres lost during 90 minutes in normal conditions.

To help you get in the Samba spirit and see what the Three Lions can expect in Brazil the analysts at Ladbrokes have put together a microsite which assesses individuals on the three most important factors; age, hydration and average running speed in order to ascertain how long they would last playing in the conditions, with results coming in the form of a comparison to an existing England player.

Those seen as most likely to last longest in the heat are midfielder Steven Gerrard while those better suited to staying at home are Ashley Cole.

Scientific analysis carried out in order to construct the test revealed that an average running speed of 4.7 mph during the entire game was required in order to conserve energy in the stifling conditions.

Wayne Rooney, who can sprint at up to 22 mph in bursts may struggle to maintain speeds like that for long without running the risk of exhaustion.

Take the test yourself at www.ladbrokes.com/manaus right now!

“We’re resisting the temptation to offer odds on England players fainting in the heat,” said Alex Donohue, “but there’s no question that the smart money will be taking weather conditions into account.”

With our traders taking the conditions into account, England are 21/10 to beat Italy, with the odds of the game being a 0-0 draw just 6/1, fully reflecting the pace at which the game will have to be played in the conditions as a scoreless draw in an international match is usually at least 9/1 or longer. England are 28/1 with Ladbrokes to win the World Cup.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

Fancy a flutter? Sign up today to claim up to £50 in free bets.