Herbert to go all out against Roos
May 19, 2010

New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert has indicated he will field his strongest possible line-up in their World Cup warm-up match against Australia.

Ricki Herbert (L) and Ryan Nelsen
GettyImagesRicki Herbert will unleash Ryan Nelsen and his other big guns

The trans-Tasman rivals square off in Melbourne on May 24 before New Zealand head to Europe for further matches against Serbia, Slovenia and Chile. Herbert's side kick off their World Cup campaign against Slovakia in Rustenburg on June 15 followed by games against Italy and Paraguay.

The All Whites' first hit-out after qualifying for the South Africa tournament came against Mexico in March, a 2-0 loss in Los Angeles, but they were missing key personnel in goalkeeper Mark Paston, defender Ryan Nelsen, who were both injured, and fellow defender Ivan Vicelich (suspended). The trio will all be available for next week's encounter.

Also added to the mix now are a couple of new recruits in defender Winston Reid and midfielder Aaron Clapham. Herbert has only seen DVD footage of Reid, who is based in Denmark and plays for FC Midtjylland.

The 21-year-old played for the Danish Under-20s side and just recently pledged his allegiance to his country of birth following a FIFA eligibility rule change. The New Zealand coach however, hinted the uncapped defender could get a start at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday night.

"I think we'll pretty much go to the starting XI, the best XI, and that might include Winston,'' Herbert said. "We might take that decision - I wouldn't say it's a punt because he's playing at a fantastically high level. We will need to see those ones (Reid and Clapham) at some stage so who knows, (Reid) might just get thrown right into the lion's den.''

New Zealand and Australia last met five years ago in London when the Socceroos won 1-0. Since then Australia's star has continued to rise and they are currently ranked 20th in the world. New Zealand sit in 78th spot but are keen to see the fixture become a regular one on the calendar given the intense sporting rivalry between the two countries.

"Every other sporting code does it, so why can't we?'' asked Herbert, who was part of the 1982 All Whites, the last New Zealand team to feature at a World Cup. "We're going across there as a World Cup team now so I think we're on the same playing level.''

Vice-captain Tim Brown sees the MCG clash as a chance for New Zealand to make a statement before they embark on a rare journey to football's showpiece tournament.

"It's the first big challenge for us and we want to set the tone for the whole trip,'' the workhorse midfielder declared. "Whenever you play Australia it doesn't really matter what's going on it's a big rivalry in New Zealand sport and we haven't had that chance in a number of years. It's going to be a big crowd and a big game and we're certainly going out there to win.''

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