Hockey Pro League: German women's team wary of India challenge

Bhubaneswar, March 8 The German women's hockey team captain Lisa Nolte is wary of the challenge India is likely to pose in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2021/22 double-header at the Kalinga Stadium here on March 12 and 13.

The German skipper, who arrived with the team here on Tuesday, however, said that her side will not get unsettled by the hosts reputation, adding that her side will enter the "game confidently".

"We have never played at the Kalinga Stadium before, so we are very excited about it. It will be amazing to play at such a big stadium, and we are looking forward to it," said Lisa in her first media interaction since the team's arrival.

"We definitely see India as a strong team, especially they performed so well at the Tokyo Olympics, and playing at the home ground is always an advantage. However, we don't want to be unsettled by this and enter the game confidently."

The world No. 5 German side will be playing their maiden FIH Pro League game since October 2021 and talking about the team's preparations, head coach Akim Bouchouchi said the side needs "big motivation" to play against India.

"After the last Pro League games in October, the girls had a break, and then they played the indoor season with the clubs. It's a big event in Germany. We had only one camp for preparation. But at this moment, we needed big motivation to start the new year with exciting events like Germany coming to India for Pro League games.

"It's the first time Germany's women's team will play games here in India in a couple of years. We are curious about the atmosphere in the stadium, and the games against the Indian women's team. So, we are very happy to be here," Bouchouchi added.

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