Bhubaneswar: Defending champions Australia and World No.3 Belgium arrived here Sunday afternoon to a rousing welcome for the much-awaited Hockey World League Final (HWLF) tournament starting December 1.
Speaking to the reporters at the Biju Patnaik International Airport, Australia head coach Colin Batch said that it will be hard for him predict the champion of the tournament. “In such a tough event, you can predict even the finalists, leave alone the winners. It will be important for us to assess each of the teams and that plan strategy accordingly,” Batch said.
In spite of having a great record against the hosts, Batch is not ready to take India lightly. “They have improved as a team with a number of talented players coming up from the squad that won the junior World Cup. They will also have home support. We play our tournament- opener against them and hence expect it to be a tough and exciting contest,” Batch pointed out.
Australia have made two changes to their squad with the injured Tom Craig and Ben Craig replaced by Lachlan Sharp and Jake Harvie.
Meanwhile, Belgium coach Shane McLeod stated that this tournament would help him in assessing his own team before next year’s World Cup. “This is a good opportunity to try out our combinations as some of the younger players are making a transition into the senior squad,” he said.
Speaking about the Indian team McLeod said, “They have been playing good attacking hockey lately and with talented youngsters in the team, they have a fresh look can be unpredictable.”
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