Soccer: We're out to spoil party for Bahrain, says Nelsen

All Whites' captain Ryan Nelsen. Photo / Brett Phibbs

All Whites captain Ryan Nelsen says there is a lot to fear from Bahrain when the two teams meet in Saturday's World Cup soccer playoff match in Wellington.

For New Zealand, a win would see them through to the World Cup finals for the first time in 27 years.

Bahrain need at least a scoring draw to advance on the rule counting away goals as double.

Nelsen, who also skippers Blackburn Rovers in the English premier league, said Bahrain brought a lot to the table.

"They've got incredible resources and they've played over 20 games together, so we're just hoping that we can spoil their party," he said.

"They're the fifth best team in Asia and there are some fantastic teams in Asia, so obviously they are favourites to win the game. All the pressure is on them."

However, Nelsen, 32, said the All Whites had picked up some crucial experience playing in the Confederations Cup in South Africa.

"When you go to a tournament like that and play quality opposition, you have to gain something from it.

"There were a few harsh lessons learned from the losses, but the draw against Iraq gave the squad a self-belief that we are able to compete against the best teams in the world."

Nelsen missed the Confederations Cup, because of a torn calf muscle, but was back for the first-leg of the playoff against Bahrain, which ended in a 0-0 draw.

Nelsen said the home-ground advantage was likely to be of considerable benefit. "It is an advantage, especially as we've got quite a few players in the squad who play regularly at the stadium.

"It's very exciting to be in this position and we're in that position because of a fantastic result in Bahrain.

"It's a 'do-or-die, winner-take-all' match - and as a footballer it can't get any better than that."

Meanwhile, there were several heartening results for New Zealand at the weekend as All Whites scored goals for their respective clubs.

Nelsen netted in Blackburn's 3-1 win over Portsmouth on Sunday, Rory Fallon scored the winner in Plymouth Argyle's 2-1 victory over Doncaster in the English Championship league, as did Shane Smeltz in Gold Coast's 1-0 A-League win over Sydney.

- NZPA