The All Whites continue their campaign against Oceania champions Tahiti in Papeete on October 12 before a return fixture in Christchurch four days later in what could be Ryan Nelsen’s 50th ‘A’ international appearance.
Herbert has once again predictably called on his full range of overseas professionals for the two matches with the only real concern over Winston Reid who was forced from the field after a heavy head clash in West Ham’s win over Nelsen’s QPR earlier this week.
Reid has publicly confirmed he will be available for the Tahiti matches and is expected to line up in West Ham’s match with Arsenal this weekend. Nelsen will again lead the side and, barring injury in QPR’s fixture at West Bromwich Albion or in Papeete, should mark his half century milestone in front of his home crowd at AMI Stadium.
Other features of the squad centre on strikers Shane Smeltz and Chris Wood. Smeltz’s 21st and 22nd ‘A’ international goals last month took him past Brian Turner and drew him level with Steve Sumner on the All Whites goal scorers list with only Vaughan Coveny’s tally of 28 above him while Chris Wood’s rich vein of form continued with the Millwall striker now having scored seven goals in his last six internationals.
All of the 18-man squad were a part of the September matches with New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands, but with the majority of players likely to feature in matches over the weekend Herbert will watch the action unfold with some trepidation and hope for a clean bill of health when the team assembles in Auckland on Tuesday.
“Injuries are something we can’t control and it’s always in the back of your mind. Hopefully we are 100 per cent injury free after the weekend’s matches and we can keep moving forward with the same settled squad,” Herbert says
Following October’s matches, the All Whites play New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands again in March with the winner of the four-team round robin progressing to an inter-continental play-off against a North and Central American nation for a place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup
New Zealand squad for October FIFA World Cup qualifiers
Goalkeepers
Glen MOSS (Wellington Phoenix – 19/0)
Mark PASTON (Wellington Phoenix – 34/0)
Defenders
Tony LOCHHEAD (Wellington Phoenix – 40/1)
Ryan NELSEN (Captain / Queen’s Park Rangers, ENG – 48/6)
Winston REID (West Ham United, ENG – 12/1)
Ben SIGMUND (Wellington Phoenix – 25/1)
Tommy SMITH (Ipswich Town, ENG – 18/1)
Midfielders
Leo BERTOS (Wellington Phoenix – 47/0)
Dan KEAT (Los Angeles Galaxy, USA – 1/0)
Michael McGLINCHEY (Central Coast Mariners, AUS – 18/1)
Tim PAYNE (Blackburn Rovers, ENG – 5/0
Marco ROJAS (Melbourne Victory, AUS – 11/1)
Ivan VICELICH (Auckland City – 82/6)
Forwards
Kosta BARBAROUSES (Panathinaikos, GRE – 14/2)
Jeremy BROCKIE (Wellington Phoenix – 32/0)
Chris KILLEN (Chongqing, CHN – 44/13)
Shane SMELTZ (Perth Glory, AUS – 45/22)
Chris WOOD (West Bromwich Albion, ENG – 27/9)
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football.
For more on New Zealand Football visit www.nzfootball.co.nz

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