New Zealand are no strangers to the Confederations Cup, but it has been nothing short of an exercise in frustration for the All Whites. Having won the OFC title, they will get another shot at hopefully going further in the tournament than ever before. Anthony Hudson's men, however, will have it really tough, as they take on EURO 2016 winners Portugal and Gold Cup champions Mexico in their quartet, whilst hosts Russia will be desperate to put on a good show in front of their home fans.
Let's take a look at what is in store for New Zealand ahead of the 2017 Confederations Cup, set to kick off on Saturday, June 17th with a clash against Russia.
New Zealand's Confederations Cup record
New Zealand are making their fourth appearance at the Confederations Cup. The All Whites first featured at the 1999 edition, followed up by two more appearances in 2003 and 2009. To date, they have not only never cleared the group stage but also have never won a Confederations Cup match. Will their fortunes change this time around?
New Zealand's current form
As things stand, New Zealand are ranked 95th in the world as per FIFA. The All Whites have not been in the best form as of late, however. Whilst they started off 2017 with two consecutive 2-0 wins over Fiji in World Cup qualifying, they come into this tournament having lost their past pair of friendlies. The first was against EURO 2016 debutants Northern Ireland, with an early goal by Liam Boyce enough to decide the clash, and the second was a surprise 1-0 defeat to Eastern European minnows Belarus.
Skipper Winston Reid unfortunately will not be featuring after suffering an injury back in March whilst in action against Fiji. The West Ham defender's presence surely will be missed, as he had put in some solid performances for club and country prior to succumbing to injury.
New Zealand's Confederations Cup 2017 roster
Here is New Zealand's squad for the upcoming Confederations Cup:
Goalkeepers: Stefan Marinovic (Unterhaching), Tamati Williams (Waalwijk), Glen Moss (Newcastle Jets)
Defenders: Andrew Durante (Wellington Phoenix), Thomas Doyle (Wellington Phoenix), Storm Roux (Central Coast Mariners), Michael Boxall (SuperSport United), Kip Colvey (San Jose Earthquakes), Themi Tzimopoulos (Giannina), Deklan Wynne (Vancouver Whitecaps), Sam Brotherton (Sunderland), Tommy Smith (Ipswich Town), Dane Ingham (Brisbane Roar)
Midfielders: Bill Tuiloma (Marseille), Clayton Lewis (Auckland City), Michael McGlinchey (Wellington Phoenix), Ryan Thomas (PEC Zwolle)
Forwards: Chris Wood (Leeds United), Monty Patterson (Ipswich Town), Shane Smeltz (Borneo), Kosta Barbarouses (Wellington Phoenix), Marco Rojas (Melbourne Victory), Alex Rufer (Wellington Phoenix)
The man on the tactician's bench
Here's where things get very interesting. New Zealand are currently being led by American-born Anthony Hudson, who at 36, is among the youngest managers of a national team. Despite this, he has already won the 2016 OFC Nations Cup, which helped the All White book their spot at their first Confederations Cup since 2009.
Hudson, who also holds English citizenship, is the son of Alan Hudson, who plied his trade for Chelsea, Arsenal, and Stoke, as well as featured for the English national team.
Anthony Hudson will be hoping to help New Zealand finally end their long wait for a win in the Confederations Cup. Can this young tactician inspire the minnows in their tough group?
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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New Zealand 0 - 4 Portugal
June 24, 2017 11:00amStadion Krestovskyi (Sankt-Peterburg (St. Petersburg))This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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