The Zimbabwe national Under 21 hockey team leaves for the World Cup in Chile on Saturday high on confidence that they will do well at the tournament.

Fitness coach Jenna Palmer told the SportsZone that the team is in good shape to advance past the group stages.

“We have one of the best generation of talented players in this team that is going to Chile and hopes are very high that we are going to do well. The preparations have been going on well and we have level headed players who work as a unit without egos,” said Palmer.

“We have some players on scholarships in the United States and South Africa and they bring in valuable dimension as they are coached by some of the best coaches in the world. I would also want to thank Zimbabweans for their tremendous support from the time we were in the qualifiers and the time we have been preparing for Chile.”

Zimbabwe are in Pool A with the United States, Korea and the Netherlands and open the tournament against United States on November 24.  They take on Korea the following day before wrapping the pool matches with a date against the Netherlands on November 27.

Zimbabwe finished on position 16 at their last world cup tournament in Santiago Chile in 2005. South Africa who are in Pool C together with hosts Chile, England and Australia are the only other African country at the tournament.