Bhubaneswar: All eyes will be on hosts India as they take on Canada in their final Pool C match in the Hockey Men's World Cup to be played at Kalinga Stadium today. As the team India will be looking to seal direct quarterfinal berth, hockey player Roshan Minz in an exclusive interview to OTV stated that the hosts certainly have an upper hand against Canada.
Minz also advised team India to stick to their game plan in the crucial encounter.
"The team India players are performing well. I am confident that they will move straight to the quarterfinals. But in World Cup nothing can be predicted as already minnows France on Thursday outclassed Olympic champions Argentina 5-3 in pool A," said Minz.
Minz further said that India has an added advantage as they will be playing in home conditions with maximum crowd support.
Sources said with four points each from two matches, both India and Belgium are favourites to advance to the knockout stages from the pool. With only the pool winners earning a direct spot into the quarter-finals, a win against Canada will ensure that the hosts do not have to endure an extra knockout round.
India’s chief coach Harendra Singh earlier asserted that his boys are determined to top the pool and will be playing a different brand of hockey in their last pool match.
“The team will be playing a different kind of hockey against Canada. We have a target and we have to achieve it,” he said.
The Indians will also have one eye on Belgium’s last pool match against South Africa. In case both India and Belgium win their respective matches, then the pool winner will be decided on goal difference.
(With inputs from IANS)