"We Are Aware Of India's Weak Areas": Pakistan Men's Hockey Team Head Coach Ahead of Asian Champions Trophy Clash

Pakistan are aware of India's weak areas and they have to play smart hockey against the home side, head coach Muhammad Saqlain said on Monday ahead of a potentially high-voltage clash between the arch-rivals in the Asian Champions Trophy here. India and Pakistan face each other in their last round-robin league match on Wednesday. "Harmanpreet Singh and other centre forwards are some of the best players in the world. We are aware of their weakness as well, but we have to be smart against them," Saqlain told PTI on Monday. Pakistan managed a narrow 2-1 win over China on Monday to stay in contention for a semifinal berth. Saqlain said he's confident of his side making it to the final four.

"Finally, we have got the three crucial points. We created quite some chances, especially towards the initial stages of the meeting. If we keep going like this, we can surely make it to the semifinals with this young team," he said of the win against China.

Asked about handling pressure against their arch-rivals, especially with the match being held in India, Saqlain said his players will be taught on how to get things done.

"We have a day off, so we can focus three hours before the match. The way they played their last game (vs Malaysia) is a warning sign for everyone. Although we have a young side, they are capable of handling the pressure.

"We will need to teach our young lads (about handling the crowd pressure) who are playing here for the first time. If you can close your ears and focus on the game, we surely can play good hockey. Also, if both the teams play good hockey, it would be a great achievement for Asian hockey," he said.

Captain Umar Bhutta was not entirely impressed with his side's finishing abilities against China. He