The countries meet for the 25th occasion this weekend in their Group D opener at the Arena Amazonia in Manaus, having first met in 1933.
Italy were the opponents in England's last match at a major international tournament, when they went out on penalties after a 0-0 draw at Euro 2012.
Johnson says England's attacking ability is good enough to cause problems to any team in the World Cup
Johnson is one of six players in Hodgson's World Cup squad who started in that match in Kiev and has warned the Azzurri that their new attacking capabilities makes them a completely different proposition to two years ago.
He said: "We had a good team when we played Italy last time, but now we have more players who can hurt them attacking-wise.
"We have a bit more pace in the squad as well, so hopefully we will get further on.
"I don't think Italy will have met an England team like this before. The team we had before was a good side, but maybe it was slightly defensive.
"If we can defend well now and use some of the pace and ability we have going forward, we can cause problems."
Johnson and his team-mates arrived in Brazil on Sunday morning, having travelled overnight following their 0-0 draw with Honduras in Miami.
It was a match which Johnson's Liverpool team-mate Raheem Sterling missed following his harsh red card against Ecuador last Wednesday, although Hodgson insists his absence would not impact his chances of starting against Italy.
And asked if the winger could be England's secret weapon, Johnson said: "Hopefully he can. That would be ideal if people don't know what he is capable of and people underestimate him a bit.
"That would definitely work in our favour. Hopefully people will underestimate him and then he can prove them wrong.
"He has looked good all year. He is a young kid who is willing to learn about the game and he should just get better."
