England

England manager Thomas Tuchel, asked about his first impression of Mexico City, host city for the Three Lions' round of 16 game against Mexico:

"It's even nicer than I expected. It just catches you straight away, once we landed here and saw the excitement and saw the emotions, the committment of all people to the world cup.

"I felt straight away that this will be a proper World Cup match tomorrow. We knew it before, we are in an iconic place, an iconic stadium, a massive knockout game against Mexico at Azteca. It's an iconic match on the big stage and we feel it.

"People were very friendly, very respectful. Very emotional. Of course they will support their home team tomorrow, that's absolutely normal.

"We had an amazing training facility today, beautiful environment, very calm on highest level. So players are kind of adapted (you know about the situation, we spoke about it) - but, yeah. We will take care of what needs taking care of and we need a strong performance and I think we will have one."

Image source, Getty Images

Before we get into how Tuchel and Henderson are feeling about the atmosphere ahead of tonight’s match, don’t forget to use the poll and tell us whether you’re staying up or catching up for England v Mexico.

Image source, Getty Images

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson was interviewed by BBC Radio 5 Live commentator John Murray in the Azteca Stadium on Saturday, 24 hours before the pair are due to commentate on live coverage of Mexico v England.

They discussed the impact - or lack of it - they felt of being at high altitude, with the ground 2,240m above sea level.

"You [John Murray] were here for the opening game and you didn't really feel too much, did you? And we have been here two days now," said Robinson on BBC One.

"I mean, I am on the sixth floor of the hotel, you're on the fifth, and I think that's the most altitude that I have felt since I have been here.

"I think the word is the longer you stay here the more you feel it, so England, I think, have done right by arriving late. They will just play the game and then get out.

"So the way I am seeing it now, as an ex-player, looking at the atmosphere and the way that I feel, I don't think there is going to be an issue, I really don't."

Sami Mokbel
BBC Sport Senior football correspondent on Football Daily

I don't think it makes sense for England to go chasing the game from the off.

They need to choose their moments and preserve as much energy as they can. To go hell for leather from the first whistle, that's just not sustainable.

They are going to have to be clever about it. They are going to have to go about the game in a different way than we would recognise a Thomas Tuchel side would normally do, in terms of being on the front foot, pressing and being proactive.

In the conditions they are going to be playing in - 2,240m above sea level - needs must. They are going to have to adjust their style, according to those energy-sapping conditions.

Image source, Getty Images

Using the conditions to your advantage...well played Qasim!

Dion Dublin
Former England striker on Football Daily

On his experience of playing football at high altitude:

It's just choosing when to use your energy. It's being smart about it. The lactic acid in your legs, your arms and your body just seem make it get tighter. So drink lots of water, have lots of the gels and all that kind of stuff. But if you are sprinting about all over the place it will hit you.

The England camp may be flat-batting suggestions that their players have been put at a disadvantage by playing this game at altitude, but the reality exists that they could well be affected by it.

How the England players deal with the problem could be key...

Image source, X

England manager Thomas Tuchel has had to work quite hard to bat off repeated questions about his players' preparedness to compete at altitude.

One reporter even suggested that Mexico had an "unfair" advantage.

Fortunately, not everyone is taking the circumstances of the Three Lions' round of 16 fixture so seriously.

Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher is a serious football fan, and he's become a focus at this tournament as England fans have adopted his band's 90s hit Wonderwall as an anthem, singing along with the players after games.

Gallagher took to social media platform X to give his verdict on whether England should be concerned about the "bad attitude" reported in Mexico City.

"It'll be fine," he wrote.

It is true that Mexico's passionate home fans could cause havoc with England's preparations for the big match - think fireworks outside the hotel, flip flops thrown at the team bus - but it's not clear whether Liam knew what he was doing with this little jape.

When a fan pointed out that it was "altitude" and not "attitude" that could impact England, Gallagher replied: "Ah ok got ya...I’ve been sitting here scratching my head."

The singer is well known for his tongue-in-cheek barbs on X so maybe he deserves the benefit of the doubt on this one...

Image source, Getty Images

Dan, Penzance: The rain throughout today in Mexico should hopefully benefit the England players, because it'll help keep temperatures down, and freshen the air a bit, and England based players are used to kicking the ball about in the rain! Perhaps the one advantage to us.

Jordan Henderson is an experienced hand at this and knows how to toe the party line.

His refusal to use the altitude - or anything else - as an excuse mirrors the comments made by manager Thomas Tuchel...

England

Image source, Getty Images

England midfielder Jordan Henderson was asked in his pre-match news conference whether he feels Mexico's players have an unfair advantage after playing all of their opening four World Cup matches at high altitude, while the Three Lions' squad have not had time to acclimatise:

"Well, the viagra helped (!) I'm joking, I'm joking. It's a joke!

"The gaffer's spot on, I think. As players, we're very adaptable and just get on with things.

"The kick-off time...whether we play at 12 noon, whether we play at six - it doesn't bother us. We're just here to do our job. And that's to be the best version of ourselves, to be together, to compete, to give everything for each other and the nation back home. To make them proud and to try and win a football game.

"Everything that we can't influence like kick-off times or altitude or stuff at the hotel - it's not in our control. So we just have to find solutions, which we're pretty good at and the staff are pretty good at. So for us it's about full focus on our job ahead. No excuses.

"We're ready to go and we want to come here and be the best version of ourselves tomorrow. If we do that we'll have a good chance of winning."

England

England manager Thomas Tuchel was asked whether it is true that his team are using Viagra to mitigate the effects of altitude:

"The information and the support didn't reach me (!)

"That is not true."

Marucs Rashford says he isn't worried about the altitude at the Azteca stadium, where England play Mexico, as players are used to playing in "different environments".

Altitude is one of the obstacles England's players will have to overcome.

The Azteca Stadium is 2,240m above sea level.

Concerns have been expressed about how England's players will cope with playing at altitude, considering they have not had time to acclimatise, while Mexico's players have played all four of their games at altitude in their home country.

BBC Sport's Sarah Dawkins has taken to the streets of Mexico City to find out how difficult running at altitude really is.

England

England manager Thomas Tuchel, in his pre-match news conference, on whether preparation for this game has been more complicated than other games:

"It's like so often, there's so much noise. When you're inside of the bubble it's actually quite calm and quite focused. The bigger the noises, the bigger the stadiums, the bigger the tension - the calmer the preparation.

"I think the players were not even aware there was a possible change of kick off. This example just shows you not to lose your head. You cannot influence it. Three-and-a-half hours later, you land in Mexico and kick-off time stayed the same.

"It's not worth losing our head. Altitude, home crowd, it is what it is. It's not in our favour. We need to overcome obstacles. But we have the spirit, we have the commitment, we have the pure will and the glue in the team to overcome these things. That's why I'm positive.

"We know what's coming. The players will feel it. We will all feel it tomorrow when the energy is on. But that's also the beauty of it. We focus completely on what is possible to be influenced by us."

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson provided a weather update from inside the Azteca Stadium on BBC One.

He was speaking at the end of the BBC broadcast, following the France v Paraguay game, in the early hours of Sunday morning, about 24 hours before the Three Lions are due to face co-hosts Mexico.

He compared the "favourable conditions" and temperature as similar to an average summer's evening back in the UK.

"Since we have been here in Mexico City it [the temperature] has been very, very pleasant," said the former Leeds and Spurs stopper.

"We have needed a jumper or a coat on in the evening and I don't think England are going to have a problem.

"In that respect, they have been very, very lucky - playing in enclosed stadiums, while the two games they have played in in the open air it's poured with rain.

"Here, tomorrow [Sunday local time], I think the conditions are going to be very favourable, if the heavy rain stays away."

Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather

The heat won’t be a problem with temperatures around 17 to 20C, but heavy showers will develop through the afternoon in Mexico City.

There’s the possibility of some scattered thunderstorms forming by late afternoon and early evening in the area, close to kick-off.

But while there could be a delay or a pause to the match at the start, the shower and thunderstorm risk diminishes as the evening and match goes on.

Here, BBC Sport football correspondent Sami Mokbel explains how a chaotic five-and-a-half hours saw a Fifa u-turn on bringing the kick-off time forward, amid fears that thunderstorms could affect the start of the game, which will now remain at 6pm local time (01:00 BST)...

Another hot topic in the run up to England's World Cup last-16 tie against Mexico in Mexico City has been the weather...