India will start as favourites in their quarter-final clash against Malaysia at the Hockey World League Semi-final later today despite being on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline against the Netherlands in their previous game. The Men in Blue have scored 15 goals in the pool stage, with Akashdeep Singh scoring in every match so far.
The Indians started their campaign with a 4-1 win over Scotland which preceded their comfortable 3-0 victory against Canada. That was followed by a historic 7-1 thumping of Pakistan before their loss against the Netherlands on Tuesday.
Akashdeep, Ramandeep Singh, Talwinder Singh and SV Sunil have accounted for 10 of the 15 goals scored by India, something that stands the Men in Blue in good stead for today's clash. Not only is the Indian attack firing on almost all cylinders but also the two goalkeepers, Akash Chikte and Vikas Dahiya, have proved to be able replacements for the absent PR Sreejesh.
Malaysia, meanwhile, are aiming to qualify for next year's World Cup with a strong showing at the World League and will be difficult opponents for India today. They have scored 11 goals and conceded 13 so far in the tournament, suggesting that defence is not their forte, a weakness that the free-scoring Indians would look to exploit.
A top four finish for either side will guarantee their participation in the World League Finals in India later this year.
Also Read: Hockey World League Semi-Finals: Dutch interrupt Indian Men's Hockey team unbeaten streak; win 3-1
Squads
India – Akash Chikte, Vikas Dahiya, Pradeep Mor, Kothajit Singh, Surender Kumar, Jasjit Singh Kular, Harmanpreet Singh, Chinglensana Singh, Sumit, Satbir Singh, Sardar Singh, Manpreet Singh, Harjeet Singh, Ramandeep Singh, SV Sunil, Talwinder Singh, Mandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh
Malaysia – Samsul Haziq, Jalil Marhan, Saari Fitri, Saari Faizal, Mutalib Sukri, Ashari Firhan, Noor Nabil, Subramiam Kumar, Rahim Razie, Jali Faiz, Hassan Azri, Hasan Azuan, Othman Hafizuddin, Tajuddin Tengku, Nik Rosemi Aiman, Jazlan Najmi, Saabah Shahril, Jamaluddin Izad
Match prediction
India are the favourites for a win today solely because their attack has been on fire, but Malaysia could very well prove to be a banana skin for the Men in Blue.
Verdict – India 3-1 Malaysia
Live match information
Time – 8 PM IST
Venue – Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, London
Broadcasting – Star Sports 2 HD/SD
Live Streaming – Hotstar
