France Aim To Surprise Rivals In Champions Challenge 1

KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 (Bernama) -- Debutant France hope to reach target of at least a fifth finish among the eight teams participating in the Champions Challenge 1 Hockey championship in Kuantan, Pahang. French coach Frederic Soyez said in a statement said they will meet host Malaysia in a Group B match at the Wisma Belia Hockey Stadium, Kuantan on Saturday. "We just finished playing test matches against Belgium. Although we lost in these matches it gave us a good account of our team before coming here for this tournament. We did not have a very long preparation for this tournament, right after the Junior World Cup as we are looking more towards the new season in Europe. "But we hope to play well here against very strong teams. It is going to be a good game. We have always wanted to play against Asian teams and our match against Malaysia will give us a good indication of our present level," he said after watching his team defeat Japan 4-3 in a warm-up match Wednesday. Soyez said the Malaysian team was very experienced and play fast hockey. He reckoned that the match against Malaysia, ranked world number 13, will be an exciting and had told his players to be fully committed against a backdrop of rousing support from the local fans. France team have included 12 players from the Junior World Cup squad that claimed silver in New Delhi, India, last December. Pool A at this Champions Challenge 1 edition features New Zealand, Ireland, Japan and Poland. Eight teams battle for the coveted qualification spot for the 2016 Champions Trophy in Argentina. -- BERNAMA