KEY POINTS:
Waitakere coach Chris Milicich is under no illusions of how difficult the hit and run mission to Papeete for their O-League group B encounter will be.
The Waitakere team flies out this afternoon and will have less than 24 hours to prepare for what will be a crucial tie in the race for Oceania honours.
"This is a huge test for the players but is now one we are used to after our travels in the O-League last year," said Milicich. "We know what to expect in terms of home town support and have no doubt that AS Manu Ura will be fired up to perform well in front of their own fans."
Waitakere came from behind to beat the Tahitians 2-1 in their home fixture but with the advantage of a solid season in their premier league, the Papeete-based side will be a difficult proposition in the heat.
Manu Ura lead the local league after 13 games of which they have won eight and lost only one. In those 13 games they have conceded just seven goals.
Graham Pearce comes into the squad as cover for Paul Seaman who is unavailable for O-League.
"Timing is tight with no training at the venue prior to the match so we will have to adapt quickly to the new surroundings," said Milicich. "Tactically we must approach this as a genuine 'away' match and will set out our stall accordingly for the first half hour. It is my belief that we can and will achieve dominance in the game but we must first establish a good platform to let our attacking players shine."
* AS MANU URA V WAITAKERE
Waitakere: Richard Gillespie, Jonathan Perry, Danny Hay, Darren Bazeley, Jason Hayne, Benjamin Totori, Allan Pearce, Neil Sykes, Commins Menapi, Daniel Koprivcic, Hoani Edwards, Chris Bale, Neil Emblen, Jake Butler, Jason Rowley, Graham Pearce, Simon Eaddy.
