Mexico v England LIVE: Team news as lightning threatens delay to World Cup last-16 kick-off

“You know what, we feel it,” he said. “We feel it even if we don’t train. I felt, for example, a slight headache in the hotel room through the day.

“Didn’t sleep as well as the days before but nothing that you cannot handle and cannot adapt (to).

“I think the players felt it in the first minutes of the training session and the longer it went, they could cope with it better. It is just what it is. We cannot physically adapt. It is just impossible but we are here one day before to experience it at least, to not have all the first-time experience tomorrow in (the) warm-up.

“We will have tomorrow’s warm-up, especially with the flight of the ball, with a bit of shortness of breath. I think it is not a coincidence that Mexico starts their matches normally at home very strong, very front-footed, very aggressively because I think the first 15-20 minutes will be maybe the toughest for us.

“Once we overcome that and we experienced it a little bit already today, I think we are in a good place.”

“Quick message over the tannoy: ‘The team arrivals are cancelled.’ The storm has just started back up,” notes Kieran Jackson inside the Azteca Stadium.

“No news yet on any delay to kick-off.”

Just done a lap around the Azteca Stadium and the atmosphere is very jovial, notes senior sports reporter Kieran Jackson.

I’ve seen numerous dancing acts, music groups and even England fans playing hop-scotch with a bunch of Mexicans.

All fun and games – until the heavens opened.

“Huge shrieks around the Azteca media centre as Erling Haaland gives Norway the lead against Brazil,” notes Kieran Jackson at the Azteca Stadium.

“They have 10 minutes to hold on and, if they do, they will face England or Mexico in Miami next Saturday.”

Jordan Henderson joked that England do not need Viagra to get ready for the World Cup last-16 clash with Mexico at the Estadio Azteca.

Reports online suggested Thomas Tuchel’s side would be able to use the drug to help combat the effects of altitude in Mexico City, which sits more than 2,000 metres above sea level.

Henderson joked: “Well, the Viagra helped, I think… I’m joking!

“Players are very adaptable, really, and just get on with things. Like the kick-off time yesterday, whether we play at 12pm, whether we play at 6pm (local time), it doesn’t really bother us.

“We just come 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 to win a football game.

“Everything that we can’t influence, like kick-off times or altitude or stuff at the hotel, is not in our control, so we just have to find solutions, which we’re 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, and if we do that then we’ll have a good chance of winning.”

Cycling great Tadej Pogacar gifted victory to his Mexican teammate Isaac Del Toro on the second stage of the Tour de France on Sunday before soaking up the adulation of the Mexican fans eager to acquire a high-profile fan before tonight’s World Cup game.

“I’m super proud to have the level to manage these kind of situations,” Del Toro said. “I cannot believe I just did this, just full emotions. You cannot believe how it feels for me, especially for my country.”

Del Toro urged his football countrymen — known as El Tri — to beat England at the World Cup in their round-of 16 match later Sunday in Mexico City.

“Of course we have these 11 guys ripping it up in the soccer,” he said. “They’re doing amazing.”

Jarell Quansah is poised to start or England at right-back, according to widespread reports.

“That means he didn’t want to bring Stones at centre-back,” Gary Neville tells ITV Sport.

“It’s a big game for him, he’s got to do the job, it’s not ideal.”

We are less than three hours until kick-off at the Azteca, which will of course be in the wee hours of the morning for us folk back in the UK.

I think it’s time for some score predictions…