Dabang Mumbai will face Kalinga Lancers in their 2nd home game of the ongoing Coal India Hockey India League. The Alphas have had a difficult start to the campaign, losing all their 3 matches in the campaign, albeit with the narrowest of margins. Their opponents, on the other hand, have a 50% win ratio in their four matches, which include a win over their weekend opponents in Bhubaneshwar.
The Alphas lost their last home game 3-4 against the Waveriders, in what proved to be a thrilling contest between the two evenly-matched sides, with Talwinder Singh scoring the winner for the visitors in the dying minutes. The Lancers, too, lost their last match 3-2 against Ranchi Rays, however, they thrashed Uttar Pradesh Wizards 2-10 in their 3rd game of the season with Glenn Turner leading them from the front by scoring 2 field goals.
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The Alphas will like to get their 1st win in the campaign and playing in front of the vociferous home support will surely give them the much-needed boost while the Lancers will look to build on their 2 wins in 4 matches and push higher up the table.
Live Telecast
Date and Time: 31st January, 2016 – 5:50 PM (IST)
Telecast: English – Star Sports 2, Star Sports HD2; Digital Platform – Hotstar
Venue: Mahindra Hockey Stadium, Mumbai
Squad
Dabang Mumbai
Goalkeepers: David Harte, Xavi Trenchs, Krishan B Pathak
Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh, Matthew Swann, Jeremy Hayward, Gurmail Singh, Andrew Philpott, Diwakar Ram
Midfielders: Nilakanta Sharma, Danish Mujtaba, Vikas Sharma, Tyron Pereira, Manpreet
Forwards: Florian Fuchs, Affan Yousuf, Johan Bjorkman, Gurjant Singh, Roshan Minz, Dylan Wotherspoon
Kalinga Lancers
Goalkeepers: Andrew Charter, Abhinav Kumar Pandey
Defenders: Dipsan Tirkey, Pardeep Mor, Amit Rohidas, Gurjinder Singh, Anand Lakra, Matthew Dawson, Aran Zalewski
Midfielders: Moritz Fuerste, Adam Dixon, Quirijn Caspers
Forwards: Malak Singh, Glenn Turner, Stanli Victor Minz, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Devindar Sunil Walmiki, Matthew Willis, S K Uthappa, Dharamvir Singh
Key Players
Florian Fuchs
German international Florian Fuchs added a remarkable field goal to his tally in his last match against the Waveriders, and has, by far, looked as the team’s biggest threat in the opposition circle. The 24-year-old forward was also on the scoreboard when they met the Lancers in their opening match of the campaign, and will surely look to build on that confidence and help the Alphas register their 1st win of the campaign.
Matthew Swann
Australian international and the skipper of the Alphas, Matthew Swann has been the fire engine for the team in the final third as well as in their defensive circle. The recipient of the ‘Man of the Match’ in the Alphas’ last match of the HIL against the Waveriders, Swann will look to replicate his performance from the last match and help the Alphas overcome the tough challenge posed by the Lancers.
Glenn Turner
31-year-old Glenn Turner has been the Lancers’ highest scorer of the campaign with 5 goals to his name, which include the winner scored against the Alphas early in the campaign. The home team will need to be wary of the threat posed by the Australian, especially in the final third.
Moritz Fuerste
German international Moritz Fuerste was instrumental in his team’s first home match against UP Wizards, which, unfortunately for him, ended in defeat for the Lancers. The 33-year-old midfielder scored via a drag-flick, but the goal was ruled out as the ball was not stopped outside the circle. Kalinga Lancers will look at the most expensive player in the tournament to push on and give them their third win of the tournament.
Form Guide
Dabang Mumbai: L – L – L
Kalinga Lancers: L – W – W – L
(Most recent on the right)
