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The arrival of India’s group-stage rivals Spain and Wales in Rourkela on Sunday energized the city’s atmosphere ahead of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela. Both teams reached Rourkela from Bhubaneswar through Charter Flights.
Spain Men’s Hockey Team will open their campaign against the hosts India in Rourkela on January 13th and as per Captain Alvaro Iglesias, it is the most exciting challenge for any opposition in the world.
“I think it’s the most exciting game you can play. If someone asks anyone which game they want to play, probably everyone will say they want to play against India in India in the opening match of the World Cup. It will be great. The preparation has been good. We have been training a lot together and we are waiting for the moment,” he said.
“We know the stadium in Rourkela is bigger. We know there will be a lot more crowd there. It will be hard to listen to our teammates and the instructions from the referee as well. But it will be an incredibly exciting atmosphere and we are really looking forward to playing here,” he added.
Spain Head Coach Max Caldas kept his cards close to his chest when asked about his tactics going into the first match against India. “The plan is to go to the hotel, have some rest, and have some food and take it easy,” he said.
Spain played against India and New Zealand at the FIH Men’s Hockey Pro League 2022/23 recently and Coach Caldas said that his team is used to playing in India now and that will improve their game.
“It’s an honour and joy for us to come back to India. We love coming here. We are looking forward to the challenges. When you are at ease at any place, you tend to feel better and then play better. And we feel at ease in India,” he said.
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