Joe Bell congratulates Chris Wood on his goal | Photosport NZ
Bahrain v New Zealand Preview
When Kiwi football fans hear ‘Bahrain’ it’s impossible not to think back to Rory Fallon’s history-making header. 12 years later Rory will be back at Bahrain National Stadium, this time as part of the coaching staff, as Danny Hay looks to continue build a team capable mirroring the achievements of the 2009 side.
Ahead of the game Danny Hay spoke to media about how the squad was looking, confirming that Bill Tuiloma is a doubt and that Sarpreet Singh would be unavailable having previously agreed he would returned to Germany to continue to establish himself in the SSV Jahn Regensburg side.
Hay was confident that the loss of Singh provides an opportunity for some of the other creative players in the squad to get an opportunity:
“It’s one thing I think we’ve got some depth in. People like Elijah Just, Callum McCowatt, are technically very good players. You look at others, the couple of young bucks that we started the other day, 19-year-olds Marko Stamenic and Matt Garbett, are technically good players as well and I think people saw that when they watched them play at the Olympics.”
The team line-up for the 2-1 win over Curaçao | Photosport NZ
Looking at the Bahrain squad, international experience isn’t something they are going to be lacking. The starting line-up in their recent 4-0 win over Curaçao only featured two players with less that 20 caps, with centre back Waleed Al-Mayam (75 caps) and attacking midfielder Abdulwahab Al Malood (58 caps) the top appearance makers.
They also have the benefit of a full calendar of games in 2021. Since March they have played 11 times, winning 7, losing 3 and drawing once, away to Ukraine.
Unlike the All Whites squad for the game, which features players from 15 different countries, the Bahrain side is largely made up of players from their domestic league with reigning champions Al-Riffa well represented.
Danny Hay was well aware of the challenges faces his side:
“It’s going to be tough against Bahrain. Obviously the conditions here are difficult. They are used to it, home ground for them. They’ve got a huge amount of experience. When you look through their squad the caps they’ve been able to compile is quite something compared to our young team. It’s going to be a real challenge for them.”
You can watch the game on Sky Sport NZ on Wednesday 13 October. Kick-off is 5am in New Zealand with coverage starting from 4:30am.
The Men’s National Team Squad to face Curaçao:
Stefan Marinovic (26 Caps) Hapoel Nof HaGalil, Israel
Nikola Tzanev (1 Cap) AFC Wimbledon, England
Michael Woud (2 Caps) Almere City FC, Netherlands
Michael Boxall (34 Caps) Minnesota United, USA
Nikko Boxall (3 Caps) SJK Seinäjoki, Finland
Liberato Cacace (4 Caps) Sint-Truidense VV, Belgium
Kelvin Kalua (1 Caps) Eastern Suburbs, New Zealand (currently on trial in Europe)
Niko Kirwan (1 Caps) Padova, Italy
Nando Pijnaker (2 Cap) FC Helsingør (loan from Rio Ave FC), Denmark
Tommy Smith (39 Caps) Colchester United, England
Bill Tuiloma (27 Caps) Portland Timbers, USA
Joe Bell (3 Caps) Viking FK, Norway
Joseph Champness (0 Caps) Giresunspor, Turkey
Matthew Garbett (1 Caps) Torino, Italy
Marko Stamenic (1 Caps) HB Køge (on loan from FC Copenhagen), Denmark
Andre de Jong (5 Caps) AmaZulu FC, South Africa
Elijah Just (3 Caps) FC Helsingør, Denmark
Callum McCowatt (2 Cap) FC Helsingør, Denmark
Chris Wood (57 Caps) Burnley FC, England
Article added: Tuesday 12 October 2021
