The World Cup round of 16 match between Mexico and England will be played this Sunday (5th) in Mexico City, at an altitude of 2,240 metres. The situation is causing further concern for the England team, but coach Thomas Tuchel has ruled out the use of any drugs to cope with the altitude. English tabloids recently reported that WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency, may grant special permission for athletes to use sildenafil citrate, which helps reduce the effects of altitude sickness. This drug is known for treating sexual impotence and Viagra is one of them. Tukhel responded by laughing at the prospect, saying, "This information is wrong, it's not true."
The German coach added, "We are feeling the extra opponent we are facing with England. We are feeling it even when we are not training. I had a little headache, I didn't sleep as well as the previous days. But I can handle it. I think the players felt it at the beginning of training. It is a reality. We cannot adapt physically, but we came a day earlier to gain experience. Before the match we will be familiar with the speed of the ball. They are strong in the first 20-30 minutes. It's not unusual to start. But I think we're in a good position."
England will play again at the Azteca exactly 40 years after their historic 1986 World Cup quarter-final against Argentina. Maradona scored the first goal with the "hand of God" and later scored the "goal of the century". Argentinians defeated England to advance to the title. "Everyone remembers that goal, it's an iconic goal at Azteca, a huge disappointment for England. It hurts, still hurts, but we're not here for revenge. It's not the same opponent at all. We're in a good mood here," Tukhel said.
Mexico and England meet at 9pm (Brasilia time). The winner will play in the quarterfinals against either Brazil or Norway, whichever comes first.
