As the EuroHockey Indoor Champioship II - Espinho 2016 is almost here, the organization of the event decided to interview the captains of the national teams that will compete between 15th to 17^th January, for the desired promotion. This time, Portugal’s captain, Bruno Santos, kindly answered a few questions concerning the preparation and expectations of his team, as well as his thoughts about the country hosting the event, Portugal.
 

How is being the preparation of your team for the EuroHockey Espinho 2016? 
We started preparing very recently. We have done four training games in the last weekend, which allowed us to assimilate quickly the ideas of our coach in a competitive way and to improve the connection between the team.

What are your expectations? 
I have good expectations. Our goal is to finish the competition in the two first spots. Of course, we dream about the first place, but the main objective is clearly to get the promotion up to the division A.
 
 
In your opinion, how important is this event, taking place in Portugal, for the development of the sport?
 
Indoor Hockey is a beautiful sport to watch. It has many goals and it is technically very evolved. There is an special environment and an incredible cordiality between everyone involved. These are things that only exist in Hockey. All together, this is a competition with a good level and very good teams, such as England and Belgium, which help to have a good level of competition. It's a great way to sell hockey.
 
 
In your opinion, what are the strongest teams of this event? 
When we talk about a division like this, is very complicated to answer. We may be playing to get our promotion or we might end up in a place where we are fighting not to get demoted. The level is very similar in terms of teams. A simple goal can change everything. The details will matter, and will make the difference, for sure. There is clearly no superior team, and everyone will fight for the same: the top two spots.