The Indian women’s hockey team will be hoping to keep the winning momentum when it takes on Germany in the semifinal of the Olympic Qualifiers here on Thursday in its toughest game of the competition.

India rarely starts a home game as the underdog, but with Germany as the clear favorite, the host nation would need to perform very well to advance to the final and secure an Olympic ticket.

Although Savita and company would still have a chance in the third-place play-off, a loss would mean the end of the road, so they’ll want to stay out of another scenario where they have to win. Germany, meanwhile, will be eager to maintain its lead and demonstrate that its own draw against Japan, which saw multiple opportunities lost, was an uncommon bad game.

While the numbers favour Germany, India will have the crowd in its corner. The teams played three times in 2023, with Germany winning them all, besides the practice game before the start of the qualifiers. The last time India won was on shootouts during the Pro-League in 2022. A regulation win was last achieved in a test match in 2015.

We were prepared for this scenario. We knew right from the start that anything could happen—we could top the pool and play Japan or Chile or finish second and play Germany in the semifinals. There were no doubts or assumptions, and we prepared for every opponent. So we are not really worried,” Savita said on the eve of the match.

“We all know who they are, but we also know that we need to use our strength to attack to win. Germany is a very athletic team, with several talented individuals on the squad that can attack quickly. As always, defense will come first and take precedence. As a team, we must attack and defend while playing together. We will play our natural aggressive style, but we also need to be skilled at countercontrol,” she continued.

However, Germany rebounded from the disappointing 1-1 draw with Japan to lead Pool A and defeat the Czech Republic 10-0, satisfying coach Valentin Altenburg’s prediction that his squad needed to find ways to open up the defense. They will be hoping to build on the victory.

Having narrowly missed direct qualification with a bronze at the European Championships, the Germans, with a mix of youth and experience, will be keen to prove their pedigree.

In the other semifinal, the United States and Japan will square off in a battle of styles, with the Americans leaning more toward physicality and defense while the Japanese have a well-rounded game and a strong defense.