India vs Netherlands preview, where to watch, start time: History does not favour India

Bhubaneswar, December 12: Their shoulders are burdened with weight of expectations but it won't be easy for India to end a 43-year long wait when they take on mighty Netherlands in the quarterfinal of the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup on Thursday at the Kalinga Stadium (December 13).

India last played in the semifinal of the World Cup way back in 1975 when they went on to lift their maiden title.

Though the game has witnessed an upward trend in the country, history does not favour the hosts against the mighty Dutchmen, whom the Indians have never beaten in the World Cup.

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In the six earlier meetings in World Cup, Netherlands defeated India five times while one ended in a draw.

And if Manpreet Singh and his men get past the Dutch on Thursday, they will not only break a jinx but also rewrite history and ink their names in the one of the golden chapters of the Indian hockey.

Going by present form and rankings, there is hardly anything to differentiate between the two sides.

While Netherlands are placed fourth in the current world rankings, India are a rung below in the fifth position. The last time India and Netherlands faced each in the Champions Trophy earlier this, the match had ended in a 1-1 draw.

The over-all head-to-head record belongs to Netherlands. In the 105 games played between the two sides so far, India have won 33, lost 48 while the rest ended in draws.

India and Netherlands have faced each other nine times since 2013, winning four apiece while one game finished in a draw.

And for India captain Manpreet past results hold significance. "The past results matter a lot because Netherlands have a better result against us. But, we have played well against them recently. We have also beaten them, drew against them at the Champions Trophy. Indian hockey has improved a lot. The match will be tough and whichever team plays better will win," Manpreet said.

The India-Netherlands duel is expected to be a fast-paced, attacking encounter with both the teams heavily relying on their goal scoring abilities to come out winners.

As Team India excelled in the pool stages of the OHMWC Bhubaneswar 2018, here are the standout players of their campaign so far, who will be called upon to fulfil the quest of winning the World Cup title.
Read further: https://t.co/YZH7jx6nVD #IndiaKaGame #HWC2018 #DilHockey

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) December 12, 2018

Both India and Netherlands have scored heavily in the pool stages. While India have scored 12 goals and conceded three, the Dutch have pumped in 18 goals and conceded five.

In the likes of captain Billy Bakker, Seve van Ass, Jeroen Hertzberger, Mirco Pruijser, Robbert Kemperman, Thiery Brinkman, the Dutch have got plenty of experience in the midfield and its strike force.

It will be a real test for the Indian defence. The Indians too would be relying on their strikers - Mandeep Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Lalit Upadhyay and Akashdeep Singh - to continue their good work.

It is rightly said, "Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles". @TheHockeyIndia's head-coach Harendra Singh couldn't emphasize this point enough after India's 5-1 victory over Canada in #HWC2018 to qualify for the quarter-finals. #INDvCAN pic.twitter.com/GaCoT0FrPG

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 8, 2018

With the Kalinga Stadium expected to be packed to its full capacity, there will also be tremendous pressure on the Indian team and the Dutch will be more than happy to exploit any mistake.

"This will be not be the first time. We have played in front of big crows in pool games and in the past as well. We are used to playing in front of big crowds," Netherlands coach Max Caldas said.

Meanwhile in the first quarterfinal, Germany will take on Belgium.

(With inputs from PTI)

Schedule

Germany vs Belgium, 5pm

India vs Netherlands, 7pm

Live on Star Sports Select

Live streaming on Hotstar