Already assured of a World Cup berth, India would aim for the winners' trophy at the FIH Women's Hockey World Cup Qualifiers and take a step forward in that direction by winning the semifinal against Italy here on Friday. The Indian women's hockey team finished on top of Pool B with seven points from three matches. Scotland also collected same points but finished second in the group because of India's superior goal difference.

The hosts registered two wins and one draw in the pool stage. Italy finished second in Pool A with four points after registering one win, one draw and one loss, giving the hosts a slight psychological edge ahead of the semifinal. India will look to build on the impressive form of forward Navneet Kaur, who is currently the joint top-scorer of the tournament with four goals. She produced a standout performance in the final pool match against Wales, scoring a brilliant hat-trick to cap off the group stage in style. Italy, meanwhile, will rely on Federica Carta, who has been their key attacking threat and has scored three goals so far in the competition. On paper and form, India hold a major advantage over Italy.