The All Whites squad tasked with taking down Costa Rica to earn their place at this year's FIFA World Cup has been named with one of their star players left off the list.
Attacking midfielder Sarpreet Singh will miss next month's one-off playoff after failing to overcome the groin injury that has sidelined him since early April.
All Whites coach Danny Hay said he felt for both Singh and Ryan Thomas, who had already been ruled out of the match with a knee injury last month.
“While it is unfortunate that Sarpreet Singh and Ryan Thomas are missing with injury, it is great we are able to bring Marco Rojas and Michael Boxall back after they weren’t available in March," Hay said.
“We know this is a massive moment for football in New Zealand and I believe these are the players that give us the best possible chance of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup later this year.”
Hay named a 26-strong squad on Tuesday morning but will need to reduce it to 23 on game day when they face Costa Rica on neutral territory at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Qatar.
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The All Whites earned a place in the match after an unbeaten run through the Oceania Qualifiers earlier this year which they capped off in style with a 5-0 win over the Solomon Islands in the final.
Despite veterans such as Chris Wood and Winston Reid being named, Hay's side will be the youngest All Whites squad to take play an intercontinental playoff with 11 of the players aged 23 or under.
Hay expects that youth to give the side some life, though.
“I’m very happy with the squad we have assembled," Hay said.
"The vast majority were part of the qualifying campaign, and a significant number were in the Olympic side, so this is a group that understands how we want to play and what is expected of them."
The All Whites will play a friendly against Peru in Barcelona on June 6 to prepare for the match before a second game against a yet-to-be-announced second national team on June 10.
After that, the side will have two weeks to prepare for the World No.31 side before the big day on June 15.
All Whites Squad
Goalkeepers: Matthew Gould, Stefan Marinovic, Oli Sail
Defenders: Michael Boxall, Liberato Cacace, Francis de Vries, Dane Ingham, Niko Kirwan, Tim Payne, Nando Pijnaker, Winston Reid, Tommy Smith, Bill Tuiloma
Midfielders: Joe Bell, Matt Garbett, Elijah Just, Clayton Lewis, Marco Rojas, Marko Stamenic
Forwards: Kosta Barbarouses, Joey Champness, Alex Greive, Callum McCowatt, Logan Rogerson, Ben Waine, Chris Wood
Fixtures [NZ time]
Monday, June 6, 3.30am: v Peru; Barcelona, Spain
Saturday, June 10, TBC: v TBC; Doha, Qatar
Wednesday, June 15, 6am: v Costa Rica; Doha, Qatar
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