Thomas Tuchel believes England will right the wrongs of the ‘Hand of God’ as “karma” will be on their side for their long-awaited return to the Azteca Stadium.
Sunday’s mouthwatering World Cup round-of-16 clash against co-hosts Mexico takes the team back to the historic stadium for the first time since their unforgettable date with Diego Maradona in 1986.
The late playmaker’s goals in Argentina’s 2-1 quarterfinal defeat of England have gone down in football folklore, having produced a jaw-dropping solo effort after punching the opener past Peter Shilton.
Tuchel vividly remembers watching that World Cup as a child and believes his side will benefit from cosmic justice when they face Mexico at the Azteca on Sunday.
Asked if the ‘Hand of God’ will be in the air 40 years on, he said: “Yes, it will reward us. We will get it back. It’s karma. Karma will come back for us. We will turn it around.
“I remember of course the World Cup of Maradona. The two goals against England — the one dribbling and the one which would never stand these days.
“I remember that something was hanging in the middle of the Azteca and the shadow never moved. It was like a board hanging and the sun was so steep the shadow was always around the middle circle.
“I was 13 years old and Germany played [Argentina] in the final.
“It’s an iconic stadium. I remember the coffee table book that came from it and the pictures with all these flags and stuff.
“Super excited to have this match. It’s an iconic match to play against Mexico in Mexico but we will play against the whole country, the energy of the whole country, in their stadium.”
Tuchel feels this “is a good moment to make peace with the stadium and turn things around” after the ‘Hand of God’ incident, but England will face all manner of “obstacles.”
As if playing one of the World Cup hosts was not enough, dealing with altitude is a major challenge given the match will be played more than 2,000 metres above sea level.
“We will go one night earlier [than usual and travel on Friday], it makes sense,” said Tuchel, who revealed the Football Association had done their “homework,” including speaking to Team GB.
“The ball will fly differently. It will fly maybe five yards more. It’s just difficult. We just need the experience.
“The recommendation is you either go 10 days before — which is too long for us — or last minute, which is not allowed.
“We have spoken to teams who do it and they say they travel very, very late on matchday if they cannot have time to adapt.
“It’s not possible so we find a mixture in between, but it will stay as a disadvantage.”
Asked if the situation is unfair, the England boss said: “It is a huge advantage [for Mexico] of course but that’s just what it is.”
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England — who earned their place in the round of 16 with Wednesday’s late 2-1 turnaround against Congo DR — will have to deal with an ear-splitting atmosphere at the Azteca.
There is also a strong chance that the hostility begins well ahead of the game given Mexican fans tried to make it a sleepless night for Ecuador in the previous round.
“We will expect that,” Tuchel added. “But what shall we do? We will bring stuff [like ear plugs] of course, but I expect everything.”
