Most exciting game you can play: Spain captain Alvaro Iglesias on clash against India in Hockey WC

The arrival of Indias groupstage rivals Spain and Wales in Rourkela on Sunday energized the citys atmosphere ahead of the FIH Odisha Hockey Mens World Cup 2023 BhubaneswarRourkelaSpain mens hockey team will open their campaign against the hosts India in Rourkela on January 13 and as per captain Alvaro Iglesias it is the most exciting challenge for any opposition in the worldI think its 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 Hockey India quoted Alvaro Iglesias as sayingWe 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 addedSpain 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 saidSpain played against India and New Zealand at the FIH Mens Hockey Pro League 202223 recently and Coach Caldas said that his team is used to playing in India now and that will improve their gameAlso readMens FIH Hockey World Cup Threetime champions Australia confident of reclaiming World CupIts 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 saidAll the match tickets in Rourkela are sold out When asked if the massive crowd at the stadium will affect his teams focus during match days Spains Head Coach said I think it will be challenging for all to compete in Rourkela Because of the pandemic we have forgotten how to play in front of big crowds But we are not going to focus on that too much We will focus on ourselvesIts a 16team tournament We are a young fast team and we are going to play to our guns and see how we go he signed offCoach Newcombe emphasised that his team should not be underestimated in the competition despite Wales current ranking of 15 in the world We are going to play three brilliant hockey teams India England and Spain We know that it will be tough But we are here to cause some upsets We are here to win hockey games I dont think people will be taking us lightly he saidOn being asked if the Rourkela weather would be a challenge the Coach said that his team might actually enjoy the heat in Odisha as compared to the wet and cold weather in WalesIt does not feel too hot We played in Malaysia and it was quite hot out there We are used to playing in India in the summer So this is fine Its cold and wet in Wales as of now so we are actually excited to get some heat he saidMeanwhile Wales skipper Rupert Shipperley said that playing in front of over 20000 spectators in Rourkela will bring out its own challenges But he added that he hopes his team will be able to entertain the fans and gain support from the crowdThe boys are really looking forward to getting out on the pitch in front of that many spectators It brings out its own challenges Its not something we do regularly Shipperley saidWe will be looking to gain a few supporters while we are here in India maybe if not against India then maybe certainly against some of the other oppositions We want to entertain that is why we are here So that people enjoy watching us and the kind of hockey we play We hope to get fans behind our side he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever