KEY POINTS:
Auckland teams play at opposite ends of the country tomorrow but players from Waitakere United, at home to Waikato FC, and Auckland City, away to Otago United, will have their sights set on the bigger picture.
Confirmed this week as the two New Zealand Football Championship representatives in next season's Oceania Champions League, the players know their clubs must name a list of 30 players from which the final squads will be named.
This weekend's round of matches is the last chance to press those claims.
Of more immediate interest for 23 City players is next month's trip to the Fifa Club World Cup in Japan.
The club yesterday named their squad for that trip and will now hope they get through the next couple of weeks injury-free.
Of those who have played on a more or less regular basis in the first seven weeks of the NZFC, only Ross McKenzie has missed the cut.
City have yet to name a coach for the trip but chairman Ivan Vuksich hopes to have that problem resolved by tomorrow night.
The team will have Craig Alexander, Allan Jones' assistant for the first two NZFC two seasons, as coach for the trip to Dunedin but Vuksich says Alexander is not in the mix long-term.
He also said Jones, struggling with a severe ankle injury, has ruled himself out of taking the team to Japan.
"But, in our game, you never say never," said Vuksich.
Waitakere coach Steve Cain is also contemplating his O League squad and will use tomorrow's game as another last chance to run his eye over the players. He has injury concerns with goalkeeper Michael Utting but hopes he will come through a fitness test and take his place, as standby Simon Eaddy is in Perth as goalkeeping coach for the NZ Knights.
"George Suri comes back after suspension and is likely to play," said Cain. "That will mean a reshuffle."
Against a team left without a coach after Dave Edmondson's departure and with the spectre of having three players arrested following an early-morning post-match incident in Napier, Cain is wary.
"In a lot of ways, these can be the worst times to play teams like that," said Cain, who is also aware that when the two teams last met at Trusts Stadium, Waikato won 2-1.
Cain hopes his players are ready to show the home faithful they can play like a team at the top of the table.
"Apart from 20-minute periods in a couple of games, we haven't played to our capability. I am happy where we are at, but there is an awful long way to go."
Elsewhere, there will be real interest in the clash between YoungHeart Manawatu and Team Wellington in Palmerston North.
Manawatu kicked off their season with a win over their neighbours. Since then Wellington's only loss has been the 0-1 result against Auckland City at Kiwitea St a week ago.
Club World Cup
Auckland City: Ross Nicholson, Richard Gillespie, Mark Fulcher (also team doctor), Jason Hayne, Ben Sigmund, Paul Seaman, Jonathan Perry, Liam Mulrooney, James Pritchett, Jonathan Smith, Paul Urlovic, Grant Young, Neil Sykes, Cole Tinkler, Keryn Jordan, Dean Gordon, Teruo Iwamoto, Paul Vodanovich, Luis Del Monte, Chad Coombes, Greg Uhlmann, Riki van Steeden, Bryan Little.
