England captain Harry Kane has acknowledged the adversity the squad faces in a tie that is “as big as it gets”, but spelt out to his team that there would be “no excuses” if they fail to win. The Three Lions are preparing to face a hostile atmosphere and a forecast of thunderstorms in the Mexican capital, but Kane insists the team must find a way to progress regardless of the James situation.
“It’s going to be a really tough game for many different reasons,” Kane said. “First of all [Mexico] are a really good team. Then all these other little details are going to make it even harder, but from our point of view it’s another opportunity to build some momentum. It’s kind of the peak time to do that. So there’s no excuses in a game like this. We know it will be tough. We know we might have to grind it out. We might have to find a different way to win. But that’s what the World Cup is about. Everyone’s looking forward to the occasion, the stadium, the atmosphere, and ultimately putting yourself in those games. That’s why you train like we do. That’s why you play football, it’s to have these epic games.”