Tuchel: Azteca altitude a 'huge advantage' for Mexico
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- England face Mexico at the 7,000-foot Azteca Stadium on Monday (1am UK), seeking a World Cup quarter-final spot after Harry Kane's heroics sealed a round of 16 win over DR Congo.
- Thomas Tuchel conceded England 'cannot adapt to the altitude' in the three-day gap between matches, calling it 'a huge advantage Mexico will have' after the DR Congo win.
- Mexico have lost just twice in 89 competitive Azteca matches and are unbeaten there in 13 years; no World Cup team has beaten them at the stadium in 10 attempts.
- Paul Merson told Sky Sports: 'If this was played anywhere else, England would win this football match' — but called the 7,000-foot altitude, 1.5 times higher than Ben Nevis, 'mind-blowing.'
- Sol Campbell said altitude acclimatization takes about two weeks and noted England's last match above 7,000 feet was the 1986 Azteca quarter-final (Maradona's 'Hand of God'), with their 2010 South Africa games above 4,000 feet also yielding no wins.
- Harry Kane warned 'Mexico in Mexico is as big as it gets' after the Congo win, saying England will need him 'at his best' to handle 'the atmosphere... incredible and tough for many different reasons.'
Why it matters: Mexico have not lost at the Azteca in 13 years, no World Cup team has beaten them there in 10 attempts, and England manager Tuchel concedes the 7,000-foot altitude is 'a huge advantage' his side 'cannot adapt' to in three days.
