All Whites set for Bahrain rematch
The All Whites are set to play Bahrain for the first time since their intercontinental playoff in
2009 during the next international window.
It is expected New Zealand Football will soon confirm the fixture – and one against Oman – for the end of March, potentially by the end of this week.
The All Whites and Bahrain met over two legs at the end of
2009 as they sought a place at the World Cup in South Africa the following year.
They couldn’t be separated in the first leg in Manama in October that year, but a Rory Fallon header in Wellington was what it took to send New Zealand to the World Cup for the first time since
1982.
The All Whites last played Oman in November 2015, where a Chris Wood goal gave them a 1-0 win.
Bahrain and Oman are in the middle of the first stage of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup out of the Asian Football Confederation.
Bahrain will host Cambodia before playing the All Whites, while Oman will travel to play Afghanistan after their match.
All Whites coach Danny Hay will be hoping to secure his first win since taking charge during the March window, which runs from the 23rd to the 31st.
His tenure began in November with two losses, to the Republic of Ireland in Dublin and to Lithuania in Vilnius – a pair of matches where he fielded entirely different starting XIs.
The first-choice selection that started against Ireland showed plenty of potential, however, and Hay is likely to stick with a core group of players for both matches this time around.
Now that fixtures have been secured for March, the focus will turn to the make up of the squad, which is likely to feature several changes from the one named in November.
The March fixtures are likely to be the All Whites’ only matches outside of Oceania in 2020, with World Cup qualifying set to begin in September and keep them busy during the October and November windows that follow.