First recreation begins Jan 13 as IRL Girls tackle world ranked #4 Belgium
Eire’s Worldwide Hockey Males and Girls are actually in Valencia forward of the beginning of their Olympic {Qualifications}. With video games beginning Jan 13, that is the final probability for each side to qualify for the Paris Olympics this summer season.
IRELAND WOMEN’S TEAM
Katie Mullan, Eire Girls’s Captain
Within the ladies’s competitors, Eire (World Ranked #13) are drawn in Pool A alongside Belgium (#4) whom they play on January thirteenth (begin time is 5.30PM IRL). Additionally within the pool are Ukraine (#28) and Korea (#12).
Belgium are the best ranked group within the pool, at present positioned 4th on this planet rankings. Their performances over the previous yr within the FIH Hockey Girls’s World Cup and the FIH Hockey Professional League have been excellent, which makes them the favourites to progress out of the pool.
Korea and Eire are neck-and-neck on this planet rankings in12th and thirteenth positions respectively, and the head-to-head matchup between the 2 sides would possibly find yourself being essential in deciding who qualifies for the semi-finals.
Ukraine’s star has been on the rise in worldwide hockey over the previous couple of years and it’ll come as no shock to see them get the higher of their increased ranked opponents and end within the top-2 positions in Pool A.
A second positioned group end is important to proceed additional after which an extra win within the knockout phases both within the semi-final (each finalists qualify robotically for Paris) or a win within the third place play off will likely be required to get to the Olympic Video games themselves in the summertime.
The Belgians current an actual problem for the Irish as they’re one of many strongest groups within the World who haven’t already certified for the Summer season Olympic video games. Their key gamers embrace captain Barbara Mallen, Astrid Bonami, Stephanie Van Den Boore, Charlotte Engelbert and goalkeeper Aisling De Hooghe who has performed at two World Cups and FIH Professional League.
The matches can be found to view on TNT Sports activities and in addition on-line on watch.hockey and for followers based mostly in Northern Eire BBCNI Sport i-Participant could have protection on-line.
IRELAND MEN’S TEAM
Sean Murray, Eire Males’s Captain
Within the males’s competitors, Eire (World Ranked #13) are drawn in Pool A alongside Ukraine (#28), Belgium (#2) and Japan (#15). They open their marketing campaign in opposition to Ukraine on Sunday January 14th at 7:45pm IRL.
Ukraine are acquainted opposition to Eire as they performed one another twice finally summer season’s B Europeans, dealing with one another as soon as within the pool stage and in addition within the finals on the Sport Eire Campus final July. On each events Eire gained.
As we all know from that match, Ukraine have a tendency to start out tournaments slowly and enhance because the match wears on. So, to have Ukraine within the first match might be splendid.
A second positioned group end is important to proceed additional after which an extra win within the knockout phases both within the semi-final (each finalists qualify robotically for Paris) or a win within the third place play off will likely be required to get to the Olympic Video games themselves in the summertime.
Ukraine’s standout gamers from the B European’s final summer season included drag flicker Viacheslav Paziuk, Andrii Koshelenko, Maksym Onofiiuk, Oleksii Popov, and Oleksandr Boiko (who scored within the last match in opposition to Eire.)
The matches can be found to view on TNT Sports activities and in addition on-line on watch.hockey and for followers based mostly in Northern Eire BBCNI Sport i -Participant could have protection on-line.
