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UP Rudras, who at one point were on the top of the Hockey India League (HIL) points table, will take on bottom-placed Delhi SG Pipers on Saturday (January 11).
The UP side now occupy the fifth position in the league standings following a shock 0-3 defeat against the Hyderabad Toofans in their previous game which came on the back of a 0-2 loss against the Tamil Nadu Dragons.
Meanwhile, Delhi SG Pipers are the only winless side in the competition and will need to risk committing personnel upfield if they are to pick up full points for the first time this Hockey India League season.
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Coach Graham Reid will be hoping that Gareth Furlong and Tomas Domene, who have been among the goals for the Delhi side, manage to come good in what is a crucial encounter for his team.
A relatively inexperienced forward line will need to step up to the challenge, knowing that the likes of Jarmanpreet Singh and Corey Weyer will support the backlines with aplomb.
The UP Rudras have no such problems upfield with a formidable array of strikers in the form of Sam Ward and Lalit Upadhyay, who are backed up in midfield by Akashdeep Singh, Hardik Singh, and Floris Wortelboer.
Sudeep Chirmako too has displayed his goalscoring skills which make Paul van Ass' side hard to contain, with Kane Russell available to slot in the drag flicks.
Delhi SG Pipers vs UP Rudras, Hockey India League match details
Match Details: Delhi SG Pipers vs UP Rudras, League Match, Hockey India League 2024-25
Date & Time: Saturday, January 11, 2025, 8:15 PM IST
Venue: Rourkela, India
Delhi SG Pipers vs UP Rudras: Full Squads
Delhi SG Pipers
Goalkeepers: Pawan, Adarsh, Rennie Benjamin
Defenders: Joginder Singh, Corey Weyer, Varun Kumar, Gareth Furlong, Rohit, Jarmanpreet Singh
Midfielders: Raj Kumar Pal, Shamsher Singh, Kingson Thokchom, Ankit Pal, Manjeet, Ky Willott, Lucas Toscani, Jake Whetton
Forwards: Tomas Domene, Ishrat Iktidar, Koji Yamasaki, Aditya Lalage, Sumit Kumar, Dilraj Singh, Saurabh Anand Khushwaha
UP Rudras
Goalkeepers: Pankaj Kumar Rajak, James Mazarelo, Prashant Kumar Chauhan
Defenders: James Albery, Lars Balk, Surender Kumar, Sunil Jojo, Kane Russell, Prashant Barla, Sharda Nand Tiwari, Priyobarta Talem
Midfielders: Manmeet Singh, Jobanpreet Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Rafael Vilallonga, Floris Wortelboer, Hardik Singh, Akashdeep Singh
Forwards: Sudeep Chirmako, Sam Ward, Tanguy Cosyns, Zaid Mohammad Khan, Gurjot Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay
Delhi SG Pipers vs UP Rudras: Prediction
Paul van Ass' UP Rudras are without a doubt the more balanced side on paper but expect Graham Reid's experience to come to the fore on Saturday. Penalty corners will be vital for the Pipers who will look to Furlong and Domene to be at the top of their game with their drag flicks.
The Pipers are certain to have worked on a few penalty corner variations which could be the key to countering a daunting UP Rudras challenge.
Score Prediction: Delhi SG Pipers 2 - 4 UP Rudras
Where to watch Hockey India League 2024-25 matches in India?
Matches of the Hockey India League 2024-25 will be telecast on the Sony Sports Network and DD Sports and streamed live on SonyLiv and Waves.
