Socceroos to face All Whites in Adelaide

The Socceroos will field a near full-strength team against New Zealand in June for the national side’s first appearance at Adelaide Oval in more than 50 years.

The June 5 showdown will also be the first between the teams in Adelaide since a match at Hindmarsh Stadium in 2004.

The Socceroos last played at Adelaide Oval against English side Blackpool in 1958.

Socceroos assistant coach Aurelio Vidmar said on Wednesday that Adelaide fans had been “screaming” to see the team and, while the match was billed as a friendly, it would be anything but.

“They’re never friendlies, for years and years these games have always been quite fiercely contested,” he said.

“I imagine this will be the same.

“There’s a massive rivalry. Both teams never want to lose.”

The match will be played just three days after the All Whites play Mexico in Denver at altitude.

The team will leave the US immediately and only arrive in Adelaide the night before the match.

The Adelaide Oval contest will also serve as a pointer to the Socceroos line-up for the crucial 2014 World Cup qualifiers in September.

Vidmar said he expected national coach Holger Osieck to field a strong side in Adelaide, including striker Harry Kewell.

“At this stage I would imagine that the full team would come,” he said.

“The only one we’re not sure about is Tim Cahill who has been plagued with injury throughout the (English Premier League) season.

“But I would imagine we’d have a very strong squad.”

Osieck said he had the opportunity to see the All Whites play in South Africa last year in their group phase at the 2010 World Cup undefeated.

“For us, this game is crucial in the lead up to the qualifiers,” he said.

“This is an ideal opportunity for the players to show their ability to me and the Australian fans and to prove that they should be included in our World Cup campaign.”

New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert said the travel demands for his side were weighed up against the benefits of playing two teams ranked in the world’s top 30.

“Opportunities for high-quality internationals can be limited and it’s vitally important to get international exposure for all of our players, but especially the new blood, and against tough teams,” Herbert said.

“Any time together as a group is also crucial.

“Yes, it’s a demanding turnaround but New Zealand Football have done what they can to minimise the stress of travel, and the group of players we have has shown themselves to be both resilient and passionate about representing New Zealand.”

The two teams last played in a World Cup warm-up game in Melbourne last year which the Socceroos won 2-1.