The FIFA World Cup round of 16 on Sunday has two heavyweight ties as Brazil face Norway in New Jersey before cohosts Mexico take on England in Mexico City.Here’s the full schedule, Opta’s predictions and the latest news from the tournament, including Morocco’s march into the quarterfinals and France’s fiery win over Paraguay.What is Sunday’s schedule?
Brazil vs Norway: 4pm (20:00 GMT) at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States
Mexico vs England: 6pm (00:00 GMT into Monday) at Mexico City Stadium
What are the predictions for Brazil vs Norway?Brazil will be hoping to end an unwanted trend when they face Norway in the round of 16.The teams have met four times previously in all competitions, and Norway have yet to lose the fixture. The Scandinavians have won twice and drawn twice, including a memorable 2-1 victory over Brazil at the 1998 World Cup.Despite those historical trends, the Opta supercomputer calculates Brazil as the clear favourites. After running 25,000 pre-match simulations, Brazil won in regulation time in 53.6 percent of the outcomes.Norway claimed victory within 90 minutes in 22.4 percent of the simulations while 24 percent ended level after normal time, sending the tie to extra time and potentially penalties.What are the predictions for Mexico vs England?England and Mexico have crossed paths only once before at the World Cup, and that meeting dates back nearly 60 years.The encounter came during the group stage of the 1966 tournament when tournament hosts England secured a 2-0 victory, thanks to goals from Bobby Charlton and Roger Hunt. The Three Lions went on to lift the trophy that summer, claiming the only World Cup title in their history.England have also enjoyed the upper hand in the fixture outside the World Cup, winning each of their last four meetings with Mexico. Those victories all came in international friendlies played from 1986 to 2010.Opta’s supercomputer predicted one of the closest contests of the round of 16 with neither side holding a decisive advantage.England enter the tie with a favourable historical record against Mexico, but El Tri’s home support and familiarity with the conditions help narrow the gap.Across 25,000 simulations, England won in normal time 40.6 percent of the time, while Mexico did so in 31.5 percent. A further 27.9 percent of simulations ended level after 90 minutes, meaning the match would require extra time and possibly a penalty shootout.Remaining round of 16 schedule:
