'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Hosts India would look to end the Group stage on a high as they get ready to face Canada in their third and final Pool match.
The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar is always filled to the brim for India's matches and the players could not have asked for better support.
Harendra Singh's troops have managed to entertain one and all with some brilliant display on the field. They have looked confident and set the ball rolling at the 2018 Hockey World Cup in emphatic fashion with a 5-0 win over South Africa in the opening day.
The win was engineered to perfection with goals from Lalit, Simranjeet, the talismanic Akashdeep, and the omnipresent Mandeep. The Men in Blue could not have had a better start.
Their second match against Belgium was a gripping affair and lived up to its expectations of being the final before the final.
Great resilience was shown by the Manpreet Singh-led unit as The Red Lions had the stronghold in the match during the first half.
Belgium led 1-0 at halftime but fine goals from Harmanpreet and Simranjeet gave the Men in Blue the advantage.
Gougnard equalized for Belgium in the 56th minute and the thrilling match ended as a 2-2 draw -- implying that both the teams would have to share the spoils.
The Canadians did not have the best of starts to their World Cup campaign as they suffered a 1-2 defeat to Belgium in their first match.
They were completely outdone by the 2016 Rio Olympics Silver medalists in this match. Some purposeful defending meant that they only conceded two goals. Paul Bundy's side eventually got a point on the board as they drew 1-1 in their next match against South Africa.
Mark Pearson and the talismanic skipper Scott Tupper are the only two players who have found the back till now for Canada.
Other players would need to really step up their game in case they want to get a favourable result against India.
Here is all you need to know about the upcoming match between India and Canada:
Event: Men's Hockey World Cup 2018
Venue: Bhubaneswar, India
Date: 8 December 2018
Time: 7:00 pm Indian Standard Time (IST)
Telecast
India: Star Sports, Star Sports HD
UK: BT Sport
Australia: Fox Sports
Spain: Eurosport
New Zealand: Sky Sports (NZ)
Argentina: ESPN
South Africa: SuperSport
Live Streaming: Hotstar, FIH Official Youtube Channel
Live Updates: Sportskeeda
Prediction
Three of the past 5 matches played between the two have gone in favour of India, a game was won by Canada, and one ended in a draw.
Harendra Singh's troops have four points from their first two matches and it would do them a lot of good to win this match and head straight to the quarterfinal stage (provided the goal difference remains as healthy as it is after Belgium's match against South Africa).
Hence, the Men in Blue are expected to come out all guns blazing against Canada.
It should be a comfortable win for the hosts.
Score Prediction: India 4 - 1 Canada
Follow Sportskeeda for all the latest Hockey World Cup Points table, schedule, stats & previews.
