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The Indian women will take on Argentina in the second semi-final of the women's field hockey competition at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday.
Sjoerd Marijne's charges created history by becoming the first Indian team to make it to an Olympic quarter-final and then went a step further by getting the better of three-time gold medallists Australia to book a place in the semifinals.
Check Out: Tokyo Olympics 2021 Schedule
India's win against Australia should not have come as too much of a shock. Rani Rampal and co. had proven their pedigree in the past by running the Hockeyroos close in the semifinals of the Commonwealth Games. They have also troubled many fancied teams like England, Ireland and the USA in recent times.
While the Indians do not have an encouraging record against Argentina, Rani and co. have the ability to unsettle the best of teams as the Aussies discovered on Monday.
A tour of Argentina earlier this year yielded mixed results against the two-time Olympic silver medallists who had beaten the Indians by a 3-0 margin in a group stage encounter in the Hockey World League Semifinals in 2017.
The South American side got the better of the Women in Blue by a whopping 5-0 scoreline in Rio but will be more than aware that the Indian side they will face in Tokyo are a rejuvenated unit.
Check Out: Tokyo Olympics Hockey Schedule
Coach Carlos Retegui, who was unsuccessful in guiding the Argentinian men's team to victory against India in the group stage, now has a chance to steer the women's team to a win against Rani and co.
Not many national coaches in history have had the opportunity to coach both the men's and women's teams in the same competition. Since the men's team are now out of the tournament, Retegui will focus solely on the women's side who are led by Noel Barrionevo.
The Argentinians looked ominous during the course of their 3-0 win against Germany in the quarterfinals and the Indians will be wary of Victoria Grannato and Valentina Raposo, who are in form in Tokyo.
The Indians would be encouraged by the fact that both China and Japan gave the Los Leones women a run for their money in Tokyo and there is no reason to believe Sjoerd Marijne's team will not be able to do the same.
The Chinese went down fighting 2-3 to Argentina in the group stage while hosts Japan were in the contest for the most part against the South Americans, who finished seventh in Rio.
What will enthuse Indian hockey fans and the team management more than anything is that the Argentinians lost 0-2 to Australia in the final group game, which shows that the South Americans are not unbeatable.
The match will be streamed live on Sony LIV and across the Sony Sports Network. Doordarshan will also broadcast the match in India on Tuesday, August 4, at 1530 IST.
FIH Rankings:
India: 7
Argentina: 2
Prediction:
India's PC defence will be tested against Argentina while Rani and co. are certain to look for an early goal or two even if it means risking counter-attacks.
Score Prediction:
India 2 - 1 Argentina
