By The Hockey Paper
Holland will be favourites to win a seventh title in the last women’s Champions Trophy, set to be played in China in November.
A win for Holland, the world No 1 side since 2011, will see them go level with Argentina on seven victories since the inaugural tournament back in 1987. Australia also have six wins heading into the tournament.
Apart from Argentina, Australia and Holland, China, Great Britain and Japan will make up the six-team event in the Chinese city of Changzhou from November 17 to 25.
It will be the final Champions Trophy ahead of January’s Pro League launch.
Australia will enter the Champions Trophy with fresh memories of missing out on the medals at the World Cup in London as they finished fourth. But the 2017 Oceania champions, who won silver at this year’s Commonwealth Games, are on the up and with momentum on their side, the world’s third highest ranked team will no doubt be one of the challengers for the Trophy in China.
Argentina will also be eager to dispel any disappointment from their performance in London as the Pan American champions look to defend the title they won against the Dutch back in 2016. Ranked number four in the world, they have the talent, skill and goals within their squad to challenge for this year’s gold medals.
Japan’s ‘Cherry Blossoms’ will be riding high following their Asian Games triumph last weekend. They became continental champions for the first time in their history as they defeated India in the final. Japan will be looking to use this year’s Champions Trophy as another key stage in their development as they prepare to hold the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Hosts China are busy preparing for the inaugural season in the FIH Pro League where they will be joined by fellow Champions Trophy opponents Argentina, Australia, Great Britain and Netherlands. Whilst they face some formidable opponents in this competition, the new look team will be looking to reward their passionate fans by winning the title at the home of Chinese hockey.
