China versus Germany: 2011 Rabo FIH Champions Trophy – Preview
China and Germany will face each other in the Pool D competition of the 2011 Rabo FIH Champions Trophy, which is to be played at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, the Netherlands on July 01, 2011.
China
Women’s hockey team of China, the winner the 16th edition of the Asian Games, failed to get into the medal-winning round of the Champions Trophy. The team China is currently standing at the third place in the Pool D with two draws out of total
two fixtures. It managed the first draw against England at 0-0, while second against the Hockeyroos at 2-2. It scored a couple of goals and conceded the same numbers in the pool matches.
Unluckily the Chinese women failed to win a single game in the eight-nation Champions Trophy. In the Pool A games, it drew a match against South Africa, while lost a game from Word Champions, Argentina, by 4-1.
It is vital to mention here that the Chinese team has had one victory in the Champions Trophy that was lifted in 2002. Apart from that, they were the winners of the Asiad that awarded them a direct ticket into the 2012 London Olympics. Interestingly, China
is sitting at the number fourth position in the World Rankings.
Fu Baorong, Song Qingling, Zhang Yimeng, Gao Lihua, Ma Yibo and the skipper, Li Hongxia, are experienced players from Chinese side who have had more than 100 international caps into their credit.
Germany
Germany, currently the third ranked squad, failed to prove its worth in the ongoing Champions Trophy. It is currently sitting at the bottom line with two losses in the last two appearances of the Pool-D. It lost to England and Australia by 1-0. It was the
squad that failed to touch the score-board in the Pool D matches and conceded two goals.
It is worth mentioning here that they only won a single match out of the last four played so far in the two pools. In Pool A, Germany defeated New Zealand at 1-0; however they failed to maintain their winning-streak and lost to the host Netherlands in the
very next fixture.
The German Women earned a title in the Champions Trophy back in 2007 and came as runners up on five different occasions. Natascha Keller, Christina Schutze, Janine Beermann, Julia Muller and Maike Stockel are among the experienced players from Germany. They
all have played more 100 international fixtures.
Players to watch
From the Asian side, Ma Yibo will be the shine-out performer in the contest. Her performance will be worth watching in the match against Australia. From the other side, Julia Muller has displayed her abilities to the utmost in the Champions Trophy. She will
be centre of attention in the crucial play-off game.
Head-to-Head Statistics
In the last encounter between China and Germany that was held in the 2010 Champions Trophy, the latter one notched a 1-0 victory over the former team. Amazingly, the German women also defeated China by 3-2 in the 2009 Champions Trophy.
Predictions
Germany will be stronger team of the fixture and will mark a victory at 2-1.
Tags: