Mohali: Table toppers Jaypee Punjab Warriors will look to maintain their winning momentum when they take on defending champions Delhi Waveriders in the Hero Hockey India League encounter here on Saturday.
Punjab Warriors have four wins from six matches, while the Waveriders have posted just two victories in five games and are placed third in the points table.
The Punjab outfit seems to be high on confidence, having won their last match against the Waveriders 3-1 in Delhi. It would be an added advantage for them to be playing on in front of their home crowd on Saturday.
The Warriors have a key player in their ranks, widely regarded as world's best goalkeeper Jaap Stockmann, while Sandeep Singh would be expected to convert the penalty corners. He is sure to put the required pressure on Delhi Waveriders to earn the goals along with S V Sunil.
Punjab Warriors' captain Jamie Dwyer said, "We are working on our penalty corners as this was a loophole in our last clash against UP Wizards. The aim will be to put pressure on Delhi right from the beginning and work on all fronts beginning with defence, good goal keeping and attacking strategy."
On the other hand, Sardar Singh-led Delhi Waveriders have been gaining momentum in the League and will be looking at giving a strong fight to the Warriors.
What is going in the team's favour off-late is the defence and seamless coordination amongst all members of the team. Be it the clean passes in the D among Simon, Akashdeep and Jason, which helped them sneak in the goals, or the strong defence of Gurbaj Singh, Steven Edwards and Rupinder Pal Singh, the Waveriders are clearly in form.
The team will also be relying on Rupinder to convert the penalty corners and strengthen the team's position.
Skipper Sardar said, "We are bettering ourselves with each match. We started slow in the League but are coming back strong. We are looking at continuing the form. They are a very strong team but this will not deter us to follow our strategies against them. We will be focusing on rectifying the mistakes in our last clash against Dabang Mumbai and will try not repeating them."
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