The Football Ferns have fought off some early tour illness to be fit and raring to go for the first of two matches against Scotland tomorrow morning (NZT).

Coach Andreas Heraf says lengthy travel schedules from all over the globe caught up with a few of the players earlier in the week, but they’re now fully prepared for a tough clash with Scotland.

“We know Scotland is close to us in the FIFA World Rankings so we know they will be a tough opponent to play,” Heraf said.

The 19^th ranked Ferns slightly edge the 23^rd ranked Scots in that department, but Scotland narrowly beat the Kiwis 3-2 in their last encounter at the Cyprus Cup last year, so captain Ali Riley says they’re determined to take the win this time round.

“We know a little bit about what they’re about, but at the same time they’ve also got a new coach and a new staff so they could throw something completely different at us but we’ve mainly been focusing on ourselves,” Riley said.

That’s not too dissimilar from the Football Ferns, who are also in the early stages of a new era.

Head coach Heraf and assistant Gareth Turnbull were interim coaches for the Ferns when they picked up 0-0 and 5-0 results against Thailand late last year, but the current tour is their first matches as permanent coaches.

“It’s really good to be able to work off what we started in Thailand, and there are a lot of big changes,” Riley said. “The team looks a little different but it’s nice to have Abby Erceg and Sarah Gregorius back in the squad, they’ll be so good for us. It’s a new philosophy, a new style of play, and so I think having this tour relatively recently from Thailand is really important because it’s only 18 months away from the World Cup.”

The FIFA World Cup in France in 2019 and the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 remain long-term goals for the Football Ferns, and they’ll look to take another positive step forward with victory in Spain tomorrow.

Highlights of the Football Ferns v Scotland will be available on www.nzfootball.co.nz shortly after the game on Sunday morning

Football Ferns (from): 1. Erin Nayler, 2. Ria Percival, 3. Anna Green, 4. CJ Bott, 5. Meikayla Moore, 6. Rebekah Stott, 7. Ali Riley © 9. Amber Hearn, 10. Annalie Longo, 11. Sarah Gregorius, 12. Betsy Hassett, 14. Kate Bowen, 16. Olivia Chance, 17. Hannah        Wilkinson, 19. Abby Erceg, 20. Malia Steinmetz, 21. Anna Leat, 22. Katie Rood, 23. Victoria Esson, 25. Elizabeth Anton, 27. Stephanie Skilton, 29. Emma Rolston Coach Andreas Heraf

Football Ferns v Scotland international friendlies
Saturday 3 March local kick off 5pm (NZT Sunday 4 March 5am)
Tuesday 6 March local kick off 11.00am (NZT Tuesday 6 March 11:00pm)
Pinatar Football Arena in San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain