How England can overcome Mexico's altitude in World Cup round of 16 - ESPN

Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, caffeine and beetroot juice — if England are to beat Mexico and overcome the punishing effects of playing at high altitude in Mexico City on Sunday, they will need all those ingredients and more to reach the World Cup quarterfinals.

Having advanced to the round of 16 by playing in air-conditioned stadiums in Dallas and Atlanta and in wet conditions in Boston and New Jersey, England coach Thomas Tuchel said it will be «impossible» to overcome the «big disadvantage» of facing Javier Aguirre's side at the Estadio Azteca, which sits around 7,220 feet above sea level.

Though Mexico can rely on passionate home support, it is the challenge of playing at altitude that proves most difficult for visiting teams. And with England arriving in Mexico City on Friday, landing only 49 hours before the scheduled kickoff Sunday, Tuchel's players will have had no time to sufficiently acclimatize to the conditions.

El Tri have a formidable record at the Azteca, which was the venue of England's 1986 World Cup quarterfinal defeat against Diego Maradona's Argentina. Since 1966, Mexico have lost just twice in 89 competitive fixtures at the Azteca, with both losses coming in World Cup qualifiers against the United States and Honduras in September 2013.

So what problems will England face and how can they minimize the impact to give them a chance of success?

ESPN spoke to Steve Magness, who is the author of «Win the Inside Game» and a high-performance expert specializing in kinesiology and exercise physiology, about the problems England must overcome in Mexico City.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Magness: Here's the thing — regardless of how fit you are, how well-trained you are, you go up to 7,000