BHUBANESWAR: The Spanish women's hockey team arrived here on Tuesday ahead of its two-legged FIH Pro League matches against India on February 26 and 27. Spain suffered a defeat in their opening match of the tournament at home against the Netherlands (0-1) but managed to push their second game against the Dutch to a shootout (after a 2-2 stalemate) where they lost.
Playing in the top league for the first time, the Indians had won both their two matches against China (7-1) and Muscat (2-1) in Oman on January 31 and February 1. Spain head coach Adrian Lock said the visiting team is excited to be playing in India for the first time, and that too in a big venue like the Kalinga Stadium.
"We don't often get to play at big stadiums. So, we are very much looking forward to it. It's a new experience for us. Both teams are in the FIH Pro League for the first time. So, yes, very much looking forward to the game," he said.
Captain Maria Lopez said that earning a point against the Netherlands has given their team confidence ahead of the away games against India. "We were really happy with the level of skills we showed against the Netherlands. They are definitely the best team in the world. We earned a point against them. So, we obviously come here very confident," Lopez said.
"But we know India are a really strong team. They have already played two games in the FIH Hockey Pro League and won both their games. So we know we have to fight for it. We are ready to go. We have a lot of new members in our team, who have been performing well. We got a good start in Spain, we hope we can continue in the same vein of form here in India," she added.