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The second semifinal of the Hockey World Cup 2023 will involve one of the all-time greats, the Netherlands, taking on the dominant Belgians in what is certain to be a mouthwatering contest.
The Netherlands, who won the tournament thrice (1973, 1990, 1998) lost to Belgium in the finals of the previous edition of the competition in 2018 and are keen to tilt the tables on a side who have since added the Olympic gold medal to their kitty.
Shane McLeod, who steered the Belgians to the pinnacle of world hockey over the last 6 years has now been replaced by Michel van den Heuvel while the Dutch are coached by Jeroen Delmee, who was part of the 1998 World Cup winning squad.
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"The Orange Men set aside South Korea 5-1 today and will face Belgium in the semi-finals of the World Cup on Friday! The goals against the Koreans came from Koen Bijen (2), Justen Blok, Steijn van Heijningen and Teun Beins"
NED v BEL match preview and details
Date: 27th January 2023
Time: 7 PM IST
Driven by an Alexander Hendrickx hat-trick, the Red Lions beat the Netherlands 3-1 in their opening match of the Olympic competition back in 2021 and the injury to their key drag-flicker now comes as a big blow to the side.
Hendrickx, who was the joint top-scorer at Odisha 2018 and also at the Tokyo Olympics, will be missed, but Tom Boon has made up for the stalwart's absence. Boon scored six goals for his team, who topped their group before beating New Zealand by a 2-0 margin in the quarterfinals.
The Dutch, meanwhile, have sounded warning bells for all their rivals by pumping in an astounding tally of 22 unanswered goals in the group stages before defeating South Korea 5-1 in the quarterfinals.
Primin Blaak continues to be a tough nut to crack in goal while the Netherlands will also rely on the firing power of captain Thierry Brinkman, Terrance Pieters, Koen Bijen and the vastly experienced Seve van Ass in midfield.
While Delmee is attempting to mold a relatively young squad, the Belgians are by far the most experienced of all the teams in Odisha, boasting the likes of John-John Dohmen who has over 430 caps to his name while Tom Boon, Felix Denayer, Simon Gougnard, and Cedric Charlier have played over 300 internationals.
Hockey fans are in for a cracker of a contest at the Kalinga Stadium.
Belgium vs Netherlands prediction for Hockey World Cup 2023
Belgium 3 - 2 Netherlands
Belgium vs Netherlands Hockey World Cup 2023 match Live Streaming details
Belgium vs Netherlands Hockey World Cup match will take place on Friday, January 27, 2023, at 7.00 pm IST.
Star Sports Network has acquired the broadcast rights for the 2023 FIH Hockey World Cup in India. The match will be live on Star Sports First, Star Sports Select 2 HD, Star Sports Select 2 SD, and on the Disney + Hotstar App across the Star Sports Network from 7:00 pm IST.
Viewers in Belgium can watch the Hockey World Cup match on Voo Sport.
Dutch viewers can catch the action live on Ziggo Sport.
