So I'm super excited to have this match. It's an iconic match to have in Mexico against Mexico.
We will play against the whole country, against the energy of the whole country, in their stadium."
The deep-seated football fan inside the manager cannot help but marvel at the legacy of the tournament, looking at the iconic imagery as inspiration to rewrite history.
"I just love football and the old tournaments," adds Thomas Tuchel, Manager. "These pictures from Mexico … they are in St George's Park where we stay in the hotel.
These big framed pictures of Gary Lineker scoring, of the coaches, of Peter Shilton. They are big pieces of history.
This is a good moment to make our peace with the stadium and turn things around."
The excitement in Mexico City is careering off the scale. Make no mistake, the locals wanted to face England, not the DRC.
In the cafes around town, they were happy when Harry Kane scored his late goals to spark England's 2-1 come-from-behind win.
Why would they prefer England when the DRC are ranked lower and might be considered more beatable?
Maybe they think England are vulnerable defensively, which would be a fair assessment based on the tournament so far.
But it is more about how Mexico feel about themselves, their supreme confidence at the Azteca. They want to take a big scalp.
The attitude is 'bring on England'.
The Fearsome Record at High Altitude
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact number of games that Mexico have played at the Azteca because records vary slightly.
