Great Britain men and women will play Belgium away over the weekend. It will an ordeal by fire for Britain’s men’s after their indifferent form in the FIH Pro League. The visitors languish at the bottom of the league and take on the World Cup champions, flying high at the top of the nine-nation competition.
Britain lost to the Netherlands 0-1 and 1-3 in Amstelveen earlier in the week.
Belgium played Germany on September 22 and 23, winning the first handsomely 6-1 but lost the second via the shootout.
Action unfolds at the Royal Uccle Club in Brussels on Saturday and Sunday with the women’s matches scheduled for 1830 (IST) and the men’s at 2100 (IST).
The Red Lions must be hopeful of full points and then riding on the momentum against neighbours The Netherlands in the next outing.
The Dutch are second on the table and the clash on November 4 will assume greater significance.
Great Britain’s women, the Olympic champions, are at sixth on the table with the Red Panthers a rung lower but anything can happen, evident from last year’s result. Belgium beat Britain 4-1 at home and must draw confidence from that result.
The matches will be played behind closed days with strict protocol being followed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The fixtures are part of 10 FIH Hockey Pro League matches scheduled for the coming weeks with the remaining 76 to be played between January and May 2021.
FACTFILE
MEN
Current FIH World Ranking: Belgium: 1 | Great Britain: 7
Current FIH Hockey Pro League position: Belgium: 1 | Great Britain: 9
Final standings – FIH Hockey Pro League 2019: Belgium: 2 | Great Britain: 4
Head-to-heads in all competitions (since 2013 – 11 matches)
Wins: Belgium: 5 | Great Britain: 1 | Draws: 5
Goals scored: Belgium: 30 | Great Britain: 20
WOMEN
Current FIH World Ranking: Belgium: 12 | Great Britain: 5
Current FIH Hockey Pro League position: Belgium: 7 | Great Britain: 6
Final standings – FIH Hockey Pro League 2019: Belgium: 5 | Great Britain: 8
Head-to-heads in all competitions (since 2013 – 2 matches)
Wins: Belgium: 1 | Great Britain: 1 | Draws: 0
Goals scored: Belgium: 4 | Great Britain: 3