Lucknow: Hosts Uttar Pradesh Wizards will have their task cut out when they take on the rampaging Ranchi Rhinos in their third league encounter of the Hockey India League here on Sunday.
Unbeaten so far in the competition, the Sahara India Pariwar-owned Wizards came back from a goal down to hold league leaders Delhi Waveriders to a 1-1 draw on Friday. However, the Rhinos are expected to pose a far bigger threat as they boast of a formidable forwardline.
The Rhinos have dominated both their opening encounters against Jaypee Punjab Warriors and Mumbai Magicians and the way they toyed with the Mumbai defence in the first half on Friday would make any team nervous.
The visitors' biggest asset is their midfield's ability to control the pace of the match and it would be interesting to see if the Wizards manage to come up with a game plan to counter that threat.
Despite managing a draw against the Waveriders, the Wizards did not really impress in their ability to push forward and penetrate the opposition's citadel.
The penalty corner conversion rate is also a cause of worry for the Wizards and captain VR Raghunath, who is also their drag-flick expert, would have to come up with an improved performance on Sunday.
The Rhinos, on the other hand, would be expecting their defence to once again come up with a compact performance. The Rhinos' strikers would be more than ready to pounce on any opportunity presented to them upfront.
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