Team Spain arrived on Sunday morning for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021.
Grouped in Pool C, along with Korea, the Netherlands, and the USA, Spain will be expecting a tough start to the tournament. “Our preparation was good, we had some friendly matches in summer time in Europe, and then we played some matches against Spain national team month ago. So, we are in good form,” asserted Alejandro Siri, Spain Head Coach.
Excited to compete in Bhubaneswar at the iconic Kalinga Stadium, Siri said, “We are proud to be in Bhubaneswar to play in this World Cup in this pandemic situation. We are excited.” Team Pakistan also arrived in Bhubaneswar on Saturday night and the team coach expressed his excitement of playing hockey in Bhubaneswar.
“I am very happy with the Odisha State Government and the Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik for the work they have done in promoting hockey all over the world. Excited to compete in the tournament as it will help in increasing the popularity of the sport,” Danish Kaleem, Pakistan Head Coach said.
Spain will face off against the United States in their first game of the tournament on 25 November, while Pakistan, who are placed in Group D along with Germany, Argentina and Egypt will face Germany in their first match on November 24.