All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley says his side will benefit from playing higher-ranked teams like Greece and Republic of Ireland, rather than arranging matches against weaker opponents.
In an interview with Newshub, Bazeley said:
“It’s really important we have these tests to see what level we’ve got to get to perform and compete against these type of teams.
“We can play lesser-ranked teams and probably get more regular success resultswise, but having these tests is really important to us.
“We’re starting to put performances on and, at some stage, we’ll start to get some really good results.”
New Zealand are currently rated 103rd in the FIFA Men’s rankings while upcoming opponents Greece are 51st and Ireland are 58th.
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Watch Darren Bazeley’s Newshub interview
Fixtures
Game to be played on Saturday November 18, 2023 (NZT)
Greece v New Zealand
Georgios Kamaras Stadium, Athens, Greece, 6am TBC (NZT)
Game to be played on Wednesday November 22, 2023 (NZT)
Ireland v New Zealand
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, 8.45am (NZT)
READ MORE: All Whites to face Ireland in Dublin in November international window >>>>
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