Football: All Whites face tough odds

Midfielder Bill Tuiloma is one of the key men tonight. Photo / Getty Images

Team go up against South Korea tonight lacking experience and missing their key men.

In terms of football assignments, it doesn't get much tougher than what the All Whites will face tonight at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Taking on the superbly drilled Korean side in front of 50,000 fanatical fans would be a tall order at any time - but doing it with a team bereft of experience and missing a clutch of key players seems near on impossible.

Winston Reid, Ryan Thomas and Kosta Barbarouses are all out through injury while other veterans like Glen Moss, Shane Smeltz and Tommy Smith weren't selected. This All Whites team will feature just three players over 25 (Michael Boxall, Michael McGlinchey and Themistoklis Tzimopoulos) and could have at least three debutants in the starting XI.

Perhaps most importantly, there is a new-look back four and likely goal keeper Stefan Marinovic has never played with his two central defenders (Boxall and Tzimopoulos).

And while this All Whites team haven't played since November last year, Korea have had eight matches for six victories in the same time period, including wins over Uzbekistan, Iraq and Australia.

Conventional wisdom will tell you the All Whites are facing the kind of odds that Las Vegas was built on - incredibly steep - but this young team seems quietly confident.

"We believe in ourselves," said midfielder Bill Tuiloma. "Korea are an extremely good side but we can cause them some problems. Obviously we will need to play close to our best but we have trained and prepared well and believe in Anthony's [Hudson] system."

Olympique Marseille midfielder Tuiloma, as well as Michael McGlinchey, are key men tonight. They will provide the midfield shield in front of the back four and their decisions - in and out of possession - will go a long way towards deciding the fate of this New Zealand team. Time with the ball will be limited and Tuiloma and McGlinchey's distribution vital if the All Whites are to retain possession for any length of time.

But Tuiloma is in the form of his life, after recently becoming the first New Zealander to play in the French Ligue One. He celebrated his 20th birthday in camp this week but has abilities well beyond his years. The 1.80m Birkenhead United product is supremely athletic - he glides across the pitch - and has a strong physical presence, but he is also developing the touch and vision necessary for higher levels. He has been a standout at training this week and is becoming a leader in this environment.

"I know I have to step up," said Tuiloma. "At the moment I am one of the more experienced guys so it's up to me to show that."

Much interest will centre on Tzimopoulos, plucked from the Greek Super League by coach Hudson. He looks a good investment prospect but will face an extremely tough debut tonight and may struggle with the pace of the Korean strikers.

The rest of Hudson's likely starting XI should see Marco Rojas supporting Chris Wood, with Storm Roux and Deklan Wynne in the fullback roles.

The biggest conundrum for the coach will be the wide midfield positions, with Tyler Boyd, Ryan De Vries, Clayton Lewis and Joel Stevens among the options.

Michael Burgess travelled to Seoul with the assistance of ASB, the principal partner of New Zealand Football.