It’s football and anything can happen

Peru, welcome to Wellington. That’s the team the All Whites can beat in the intercontinental playoff. Peru have ridden a wave of good form in recent times, winning their last three games on the trot, including a 2-1 triumph away to Ecuador to move into fourth on the South American World Cup qualifying ladder.

That makes them tough opposition, particularly at home as does playing at 1500-metre altitude in Lima.

But what they do offer is relative inexperience in high-pressure games.

The last time they qualified for the World Cup was in 1982 – even the All Whites have an appearance since then. They also went out at the quarterfinal stage of last year’s Copa America, going down on penalties to Colombia after finishing top of their group (ahead of both Ecuador and Brazil).

If New Zealand hold an advantage going into the second leg, then the pressure on them from their home crowd could prove too much.

I’m a realist though, I know how hard this will be for the All Whites, even against Peru.

It would only get harder against the likes of Argentina, Chile or Uruguay, with their international stars who hold a wealth of big-game experience.

That’s not to say those teams are unbeatable, though. Argentina have struggled mightily throughout qualifying.

They felt the pressure of the home crowd earlier this month when drawing with Venezuela, a team which has won just once in 16 qualifying games.

After recent games when lowly Luxembourg held France to a 0-0 draw in European qualifying and wartorn Syria made it through to a playoff with Australia in Asian qualifying, it seems like a good enough time as any to start dreaming of an upset.

The All Whites are also a much better team than they were when getting thrashed 9-3 by Mexico in this playoff in 2013. So long as they have Chris Wood, Winston Reid and Ryan Thomas all available, then they stand a chance of nabbing a result at home and holding on for dear life in the second leg.

Wood has developed into a top-level striker and is scoring in the English Premier League for Burnley by November.

Reid is such a key player. He’s a world-class defender, the captain and lifts players around him. The All Whites have sorely missed him in recent times, but if fit, he gives this team a massive boost.

I won’t go out and say they will make the World Cup, but with a full-strength team I think they are capable of pushing any team they come up against.