Last Update: January 08, 2023, 14:37 IST
Chile hockey coach Jorge Dabanche (Twitter)
Chile coach Jorge Dabanche wary of the challenge his side will be presented by the top teams at the FIH Hockey World Cup
Debutants Chile will rely on their fortitude to take on tougher teams like the Netherlands, Malaysia and New Zealand in their group in men’s hockey. World The cup will begin on January 13 in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.
Led by Fernando Renz, Chile, playing in their first World Cup, arrived here on Thursday and will play their first match against New Zealand on January 14.
While their head coach Jorge Dabanche is wary of the challenge that the top teams will pose to his side in Group C, he is confident that the fighting spirit of his players will ensure a good performance.
“There are many top teams in the World Cup and of course the hosts India is also one of them. Australia, Belgium and Netherlands will be tough teams to beat and we would like to win against these top teams in the tournament.
“We have a big heart and we will fight for every match. I think our team is really good tactically and we are looking forward to seeing the kind of challenges they will face in the tournament.”
Chile captain Renz said the players in the team have been together for the last four years which has helped them become a strong unit.
“We have a good mix of youth and senior players in our team. We have a very good team and we have been playing together for four years. So, we are a team that is really hard to beat and we will do our best here,” Renz said.
After their opening match, Chile will take on Malaysia in Rourkela on January 16 and conclude their group stage with a match against three-time world champions Netherlands in Bhubaneswar on January 19.
Renz also talked about the challenges his team expected to face in the tournament, saying, “This is our first time in the World Cup. We qualified for the tournament in Santiago, Chile almost a year ago. We did and since then we have been preparing for it.
“We knew we would play a huge game here in India. Our group is tough and we will be up against teams like Netherlands, Malaysia and New Zealand. Every match is going to be tough for us but we have been preparing for this tournament all year so we know we are going to give our best in the competition.”
The 16 competing teams are Australia, Belgium, Netherlands, India, Argentina, Germany, New Zealand, England, France, Korea, Malaysia, Spain, South Africa, Japan, Chile and Wales.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)