Bhubaneswar, Feb 7 (IANS): The Indian men's hockey team got off to a good start in the FIH Hockey Pro League after defeating the Netherlands in both their matches last month. The world no. 5 team will be looking to continue their form when they face the world no.1 side Belgium in the Pro League on February 8 and 9 at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

Belgium are currently at the top of the league table with eleven points. They have won all of their four matches, defeating Australia and New Zealand (two matches each), away from home. However, India will gain confidence from the fact that they beat Belgium in their own backyard last year. India triumphed in all five matches (three against Belgium and two against Spain) during their tour of Belgium in September 2019.

Speaking ahead of the match, captain Manpreet Singh said, "All the teams which are playing in the FIH Hockey Pro League will play in the Olympics as well. So, we have a good opportunity to find out which areas we should work on during this tournament and get better as a team before the Olympics. The youngsters also have a good chance to showcase their skills in this competition," said Manpreet.

Coach Graham Reid expressed that the side has carried out excellent preparations for the matches against Belgium. "We are ready to go. We have been training for the last two weeks. So it's been really good preparation for the matches against Belgium. What's important is for us is that we need to perform at our best. We will be going for the win. We are not going to focus much on our opponents but will focus on what we need to do. The players are very clear about what is required of them. We can't change the way our opponents play, but we can change the way we play," said Reid.