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The Indian men's hockey team take on a youthful and upbeat Spanish side in their opening match of the Hockey World Cup 2023 at the brand-new Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.
Pool D, which also comprises England and Wales, offers scant room for respite with the India-Spain contest expected to go down to the wire if the recent Pro League results are anything to go by.
Coach Max Caldas told Sportskeeda that while he is unwilling to read too much into the team's recent Pro League wins against India and New Zealand, the young Red Sticks are a confident lot going into the Hockey World Cup.
"I think it gives us enough confidence to know that we can compete against these teams. It's the first World Cup for most of our players but I think we are confident in ourselves," the 2015 FIH Coach of the Year opined.
IND vs SPA match preview & details
Date: 13th January 2023
Time: 7 PM IST
Caldas also stated that the Spanish boys will focus on their game 90% of the time, but will also need to "tweak and turn things" when needed.
"There is a going to be a ten percent where you tweak and turn things to what the other team presents but the problem with this chess game is that chess is a very static game. The ball doesn't move, you move the board. With us, we dont move them, they move themselves. That is why we try and focus on our own game most of the time," he stated.
The Indians lost to Spain 2-3 before managing to pull off a shootout win in the second leg of the Hockey Pro League encounter at the Kalinga Stadium in November 2022.
In what is expected to be a tricky contest for both teams, a cagey first half is more than likely with both camps attempting to spot weaknesses and openings. A goal would be enough to open up the game significantly with the boisterous Odisha crowd playing their part as the proceedings unfold on the pitch.
PCs may be tough to earn for the Indians, who will no doubt bank on Harmanpreet Singh to find the target from the short corners.
Indian coach Graham Reid has a potent mix of youthful exuberance and experience in the side with the energy of Abhishek and Sukhjeet Singh complementing the experience of seasoned stalwarts like Manpreet Singh and goalkeeper Sreejesh.
The Spanish Red Sticks are led by Alvaro Iglesias, who returns to Odisha after being part of the 2018 Hockey World Cup squad.
Interestingly, both Graham Reid and Max Caldas were part of the Dutch camp before the Australian moved to India in 2019 while the former Argentinian defender took charge of Spain after the 2021 Olympics.
India vs Spain prediction for Hockey World Cup 2023
India 3 - Spain 2
India vs Spain Hockey World Cup 2023 match Live Streaming details
India vs Spain hockey match will take place on Friday, January 13, 2023, at 7.00 pm IST. Star Sports Network has acquired the broadcast rights for the 2023 FIH Hockey World Cup in India.
The match will be live on Star Sports First, Star Sports Select 2 HD, Star Sports Select 2 SD, and on the Disney + Hotstar App across the Star Sports Network from 7:00 pm IST.
