Thomas Tuchel labels Mexico fans 'respectful' despite supporters trying to wake up England squad

Thomas Tuchel has labelled Mexico's fans as "respectful" despite some supporters trying to wake up the England squad.

The Three Lions play Mexico in the last 16 of the World Cup at 1am BST, with a victory setting up a quarter-final clash against either Brazil or Norway.

England were met by a mix of cheers and boos upon arriving in Mexico City, with some fans trying to wake the team up in the night.

Members of Mexico's National Guard have been lining the entrance to England's hotel, forcing supporters back if they attempt to get close.

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Speaking about the incident and the supporters, Tuchel said: "We had no issues tonight, and I think Fifa took care of the situation.

"We have security around the hotel so we expect a good night's sleep. I don't want to talk about problems that don't exist yet. If they come, we will accept them. The best way to approach is to be relaxed and calm.

"We have a 6:00pm [local time] kick-off, so if we miss some hours of sleep we will have time to get some other hours in the late morning.

"What I experienced until now was very respectful and emotional and very supportive towards our teams, so we are very respectful towards everyone.

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"We expect to be treated with respect, and that was the case. It was even nicer than I expected."

The England manager noted the atmosphere around Mexico City, with the co-hosts looking to reach their first World Cup quarter-final since 1986, when they last hosted the competition.

Tuchel said: "It just catches you straight away once you land here and see the excitement and the emotions.

"This will be a proper World Cup match. We are in an iconic place, an iconic stadium and a massive knockout game.

"It is a big stage, and we feel it. It makes you sharper and brings the best out of you. It makes you feel alive."

The Three Lions boss has repeatedly mentioned the impact of altitude on the players, with Mexico City sitting at 2,200 metres above sea level.

Tuchel said that his players will not be able to acclimatise in time, but they "have a plan" and believe his squad "will be fine".

He said: "Talking about the first 15-20 minutes [at altitude], it's what we expect that feels very, very hard.

"Other teams who went in there late, without acclimatisation, said the first 15-20 minutes is where you basically hit a wall. But when you go through it, it gets better.

"And that's exactly why Mexico starts their games like this. They just want to suffocate you.

"Let's see. We have a plan, I think we will be fine."

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