All Whites v Greece | Saturday 18th November | 6:00am NZT | OPAP Arena, Athens

NZF media person follows YF Forum?

Reporting for duty @officialcwood 🫡🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/IH9r3I0d41

— New Zealand Football 🇳🇿 (@NZ_Football) November 15, 2023

The winning team in training 🥇🇬🇷 pic.twitter.com/lpTyCE5NTd

— New Zealand Football 🇳🇿 (@NZ_Football) November 15, 2023

I'd like to see a diamond midfield. The dead ball delivery against Socceroos was awful. Singh, Bell & Lewis will all improve that. 

Wood had like a pitiful 15 touches or something in that game. Obviously a fit Singh will help improve that, but using stereotyping I can see 2 big burly Greek CBs double teaming the Woodsman.

I'd go a diamond midfield, and Waine up top alongside the skipper. Singh to drift wide, but mostly be central, with Libby bombing forward

Crocombe
Payne Boxall Smith Cacace
Bell Stamenic Lewis or McCowatt Singh
Waine Wood

If Wood & Singh are both match fit, plus with Lewis & Bell back - we should expect improvement from what was a pretty toothless display against Australia. Helps that Greece & Ireland are according to the FIFA rankings anyway, a bit weaker than the Socceroos.

KO 6am tomorrow. Hopefully one of the NZ media outlets preview the game.

The countdown is on 🇳🇿🇬🇷

Watch the All Whites play Greece live and free on FIFA+ and TVNZ Duke/ TVNZ+ from 6am Saturday NZT 💪 pic.twitter.com/00fBTHpKFJ

— New Zealand Football 🇳🇿 (@NZ_Football) November 16, 2023

Interesting to see Bazeley's comments about tweaking things to get more out of Chris Wood. Would love to see a Christmas tree with Garbett & Singh central and close behind Wood. A solid 3 man midfield of Lewis Bell & Stamenic and Cacace & Payne bombing forward on the wings.

https://www.nzfootball.co.nz/newsarticle/135102?newsfeedId=1275608

Baz & Singh pre match Q&A.
https://youtu.be/1lmnRiC4rCk

I'd go Waine or McCowatt ahead of Garbett, who has struggled a bit in the Dutch 2nd tier this season.

Expect Greeks will be hard to score against. They did concede 3 in Amsterdam in their away qualifier verus the Dutch. But otherwise just conceding 1 goal per game against Ireland, Holland (return match) & France away. 6 GA in 7 qualifiers.

Here you go, Coochie.

andrewvoerman

Here you go, Coochie.

 Good man!  

McCowatt is also possibly a good option for a 2x 10s setup, but Waine is a 9 and nothing else in my view. Could work in a 2 up top but we aren't likely to be seeing the All Whites play that anytime soon based off Bazeley's comments of sticking to a 4-3-3 for this window.

coochiee

https://www.nzfootball.co.nz/newsarticle/135102?newsfeedId=1275608

Baz & Singh pre match Q&A.
https://youtu.be/1lmnRiC4rCk

I'd go Wine or McCowatt ahead of Garbett, who has struggled a bit in the Dutch 2nd tier this season.

coochiee

andrewvoerman

Here you go, Coochie.

 Good man!  

Nice article, thanks. Excited to see what comes through in the game.

Am in Athens right now and police everywhere. I asked my hotel why and they told me today is the memorial day for when the Greek Police/Army killed 24 Uni protestors in '74.

I think that's why the Greek FA wanted the gates shut.  The protests are near the stadium.

https://helinika.com/2020/11/14/17th-november-greece/

Marto

Am in Athens right now and police everywhere. I asked my hotel why and they told me today is the memorial day for when the Greek Police/Army killed 24 Uni protestors on '74.

I think that's why the Greek FA wanted the gates shut.  The protests are near the stadium.

https://helinika.com/2020/11/14/17th-november-greece/

Well there we go. That seems a fairly good reason or possibility. 

I think I’m not getting up middle of the night (here) for a friendly so….

Fire Up 🔥 

Come on Kiwi!

martinb

Marto

Am in Athens right now and police everywhere. I asked my hotel why and they told me today is the memorial day for when the Greek Police/Army killed 24 Uni protestors on '74.

I think that's why the Greek FA wanted the gates shut.  The protests are near the stadium.

https://helinika.com/2020/11/14/17th-november-greece/

Well there we go. That seems a fairly good reason or possibility. 

I think I’m not getting up middle of the night (here) for a friendly so….

Fire Up 🔥 

Come on Kiwi!

 Actually everything's been quite peaceful although I've never seen this many police in my life. Every cop in Greece must be here.

Really impressed with our starting lineup. Lots of experience there.

Been a bit bad about missing AW games lately between work and sleeping in but finally here for this one. Let's go lads.

Don't know much about Bindon, did he move to US as a young teen?

Not too sure about Woud over Crocombe but almost the ideal starting line up.

Fire up AW's!

Bizarre that Woud is starting 

From the outset I think we look a far more interesting team than our last rather toothless match. Looking foward to seeing how we go

Crocombe must be wishing he declared for the Cook Islands instead

mrsmiis

Crocombe must be wishing he declared for the Cook Islands instead

They’d be a solid team with Crocombe and both the Mata’s

the way the Greeks are diving all over the place, they must think they're in the old Athens Olympic diving pool just down the road.

Peno surely??

Holy shark Woud sucks. 

FFS Woud is fudgeing useless, just stood there and watched.

Awful keeping why is Woud starting

That’s why Woud is 4th choice in the Japanese 2nd division

Really poor keeping to the surprise of none of us. Woud always has a clanger in him

My word. Would is having a shocker. Smith and Bindon in front of him not exactly dominant at CB either

How many howlers does Woud need to committ. 

Even before that he was saved by the post. 

That was a pen too 

Come the fudge on ref, pen again…

Does Bazley think that if he keeps picking Woud some club will see him and pick him up? Because all I see every time he plays is proof that he shouldn't be a professional football player.

No way thats a foul and the others weren't smh

Gosh we are poor at the back so far.

So this is my reward after I get home to after busting my hump at work all night? Crap...

Baze - it does not need to be said anymore. You have one of the best keepers in League One sitting right there! Give him a bloody game!

Some better passages of play by us last 5 min

Cacace is looking great so far

couple of good chances, just a pity we are 1 down.

bennie99

Cacace is looking great so far

McCowatt too is getting involved well and having success up with Wood.
Singh still looks weak on the ball, despite bulking up ver the years, could be still finding his feet I guess.