Netherlands will play India in the opening match of Champions Trophy on December 6.

Netherlands' men's hockey team (in orange) are currently ranked second in the world.

© AFP

Bhubaneswar: The Netherlands hockey team skipper Robert van der Horst Sunday said that his team is excited to play against India in the Champions Trophy starting December 6 at the Kalinga Stadium here.

"Initially, our focus is on the pool matches, where we play Argentina, India and Germany, as all of them are strong contenders. We are looking forward to our game against India. Matches against Argentina and Germany are also going to be tough games," the 30-year-old said. (Also read: 'Inexperienced' Aussies ready to defend title)

"We try to win in every tournament that we play and in this tournament we are looking forward to competing with the several top class teams," Robert, who has played in 222 international matches, added.

Dutch chief coach Max Caldas revealed his team's strategy for the eight-nation tournament.

"Our hockey is always about attacking and scoring lot of goals - something we as a team are good at. This time we are focussing on our defence because I believe we need to be very tight in that department."