Bhubaneswar: The World No.8 Spain men’s hockey team touched down in India on Monday, gearing up for their upcoming matches in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24. Led by Marc Miralles, the Spanish squad arrived at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, where they will play matches at the Kalinga Stadium and Rourkela as part of this leg of the league.
The FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 (Men) is scheduled to unfold at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar from February 10 to February 16, followed by a shift to the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, continuing from February 19 to 25.
In the India leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 (Men), five national teams – Ireland, The Netherlands, India, Spain, and Australia – will compete, facing each other once in Bhubaneswar and once in Rourkela.
Spain’s inaugural match in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 (Men) is set against hosts India on February 10, followed by a clash with Australia the next day. They will then face off against the Netherlands, the top-ranked team globally, on February 13, and Ireland on February 15 in their final fixture in the Bhubaneswar leg before heading to Rourkela.
Expressing the significance of the tournament after arriving in Bhubaneswar, Spain’s captain, Marc Miralles, stated, “It is a crucial tournament for us. We just qualified for the Olympics a couple of weeks ago. It’s important for us to play our eight games really well to have as many points as possible.”
When asked about the toughest opponent, Miralles said, “We played a really tough game against Ireland in the Olympic qualifiers. The Netherlands are the defending champions, and India is playing at home, so I think we’re going to have some fun games.”
He concluded by saying, “We are in good shape having played the Olympic qualifiers recently. We’ve trained well in the gym and are ready for the challenge.”
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