Belgium confident of taking on France in Junior Hockey World Cup

New Delhi: Belgium seem ready to take on France in the Hockey Junior World Cup quarter-final to be played at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Thursday.

Belgium are full of confidence after defeating defending champions Germany in the league phase earlier.

"The entry into the quarter-finals has motivated the team's spirit and with more confidence now, we are all set for tomorrow's (Thursday's) match against France. It will be an interesting game as France has talented players. All upcoming matches will be tough as the competition will be against the winning teams. Our players will have to put up their best performance to win the title," said Belgium coach Philippe Goldberg Wednesday.

Talking about the game against France, Belgian skipper Cobbaert Mathew said: "Till now, the matches we played were more to win points and make entry into the quarters. But now, winning the title is our target. France is a tough team with expert players. We will make sure we give an even better performance this time and make our way to the finals."

New Zealand will take on last edition's runners-up Netherlands on Thursday.

"The match against Netherlands is a crucial one and we are practicing hard. Earlier, few of our players were not doing well with their fitness which became a matter of concern. But now, as they are showing signs of recovery, it is a great relief for the team," New Zealand coach Grant Edwards said Wednesday.

Talking about their opponents, Edwards added: "Netherlands is a very skilful team and the players have shown excellent skills throughout the tournament. They do praiseworthy job while passing the ball and have experts in penalty corners. Players in their team like Pelle Vos and Pepijn Luijkx could be a challenge for us.

"We have done a thorough analysis of our video footages to improve our moves in the game and play with perfection. As tomorrow's (Thursday's) match will decide our further journey in this tournament, the team is under pressure but we will make sure that this does not affect the team's performance."