Battle of muscle and skill will be on display when Kiwis take on gritty Turkish side in opening Group 'B' encounter of FIFAâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088U-17 World Cup
It will be a battle of physicality versus skill as Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) champs New Zealand face a gritty Turkish side as both teams kick off their FIFA U-17 World Cup campaign in the opening Group 'B' encounter at the DY Patil Stadium in Nerul today. On paper, the All Whites, who have acclimatised to conditions after playing two warm-up matches against Brazil U-17 and England last month in Andheri.
The Kiwis (in white jerseys) have acclimatised to the Indian conditions having played two warm-up ties against Brazil and England at the Mumbai Sports Arena in Andheri last month. Pic/Suresh Karkera
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"If you look at the odds some of the betting agencies have got out there, it looks like we have no chance," New Zealand U-17 head coach Danny Hay said yesterday, much to the amusement of journalists around. However, Hay, a former skipper of the senior All Whites team, reckoned that on the day the team that can combat the other's strengths will have the edge. "A lot of it will depend on the mentality. Whoever deals best with the conditions, atmosphere and can adjust to the pitch, which is quite firm in the middle area, will have an edge," he added.
Turkey qualified for the FIFA youth extravaganza after making to the knockout phase of this year's European Championship in Croatia. The Crescent Stars though suffered a 1-2 defeat against England in the semi-finals. Striker Malik Karaahmet scored the maximum number of goals (three) for his side. Keeping in mind the humid conditions in the sub-continent, the Turks adopted a two-step training regime. "We had our first training session in Qatar to close the gap geographically. We trained there for a week and then arrived in Mumbai for our second phase of training," head coach Mehmet Hacioglu said.
New Zealand U-17 coach Danny Hay
Quizzed about his opponent's physical style of play, the Bulgarian maintained that his boys may not be bulky like other teams, but are highly skilful. "We have a much more skilled and talented team. During the preparation camp, we trained closer to India. Our youth leagues also started much earlier this year as compared to previous years. I believe that physical difference will not affect us much." New Zealand too negated any queries about their week defence. The Kiwis conceded five goals during their warm up games. "Conceding five goals was a concern but the players have taken ownership since. The staff has made adjustments to make sure we are more solid in that area," Hay added.
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