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It is time for India vs Germany in the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup. The defending champions, on the back of a 1-0 win over Belgium in the quarter-finals, meet Germany in the semi-finals on Friday.
The Indian junior hockey team, after a horrid start against France in their first match, have a winning momentum behind them and the India vs Germany clash on Friday promises to be a humdinger.
Speaking to journalists on the eve of the India vs Germany semi-final clash, the chief coach of the Indian hockey team Graham Reid said the Indian defense would be tested a lot on Friday. He said:
"Germany have won this tournament more than any other team in the world. You saw Masi Pfandt scoring a late goal in their quarter-final against Spain. Germany are known for scoring late goals. They have done it historically with the senior group. It is in their DNA. They never give up, they keep moving the ball and they keep playing with the same intensity."
Read: Junior Hockey World Cup: Indian coach Graham Reid lauds team's defense after win over Belgium
However, Graham Reid is confident that India will emerge as the winner of the India vs Germany clash. The High Performance Director of the Indian junior hockey team also gave a sneak-peek into India's game plans and what to expect from the India vs Germany semi-final. He said:
"It will be a challenging game for us but I am confident if we play our best then we will win. We hope to play with a little bit more energy and tone. We got a little bit defensive against Belgium and it was not our objective. So, we will try to play attacking hockey tomorrow, try to penetrate and score. That's the name of the game."
Also read: Junior Hockey World Cup: Has India found Rupinder Pal’s replacement in Sanjay?
Meanwhile, the German hockey team's head coach Valentin Altenburg revealed that he, along with his team, watched India's quarter-final match against Belgium from the stands to make an assessment of what to expect in the semi-final on Friday. He said:
"The boys got their first impression of what to expect from India and also from the spectators at Kalinga Stadium. We really enjoyed the noise. I had goosebumps when I saw big stars like Harmanpreet Singh and Manpreet Singh cheering for the young stars. It was quite an emotional moment for me."
When and where to watch India vs Germany
The India vs Germany semi-final will be played at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar on Friday. The match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network.
Live streaming of India vs Germany semi-final match
Fans can also live stream the India vs Germany semi-final match on the Watch Hockey website (https://watch.hockey/).
The social media accounts of FIH and Hockey India will also provide regular updates, photos and results of the match.
The match commences at 7.30 pm.
Also read: Indian women's team leaves for Asian Champions Trophy, Savita Punia bullish on a good campaign
