Clarke came off the bench for Great Britain against Germany earlier this month

England player Jonty Clarke has said finishing in the top three is the team's goal at the Champions Trophy, which begins in Germany on Saturday.

Two weeks ago, England's women claimed bronze in their equivalent tournament.

Clarke told BBC Berkshire: "It's hard to make predictions on where we're going to come until we get into it.

"It's very difficult to judge but we want to come somewhere close to emulating what the girls did and bring home the medal."

England's first opponents are old rivals Germany, who this month defeated Great Britain 3-2 at Nottingham in the Four Nations tournament. Clarke, a member of both the Great Britain and England squads, says avenging that loss is not on the agenda.

"We were disappointed not to come away with a win on home soil against them [Germany] at Nottingham but I don't take any grudges from the game.

"Obviously, we always go out trying to beat them and, hopefully, this will be our time," Clarke added.

However, Clarke does admit there is a level of quiet anticipation for the 2012 London Olympics in all hockey sides as they attempt to strengthen the depth of their squads before 2012.

"Everybody is in a four-year cycle gearing to London. Some teams may decide to bring some young players in to have development for players.

"Over the next couple of years, there is going to be a certain level of rotation between 25-27 people to make sure there is an equal opportunity for everybody to make their case."

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