Football: All Whites keeping close eye on Black Caps

All White Chris Wood. Photo / Getty Images

In a north western corner of Seoul, just a few kilometres from the North Korean border, cricket fever in taking hold.

While the All Whites are fully focused on their upcoming match against Korea on Wednesday (NZT), the footballers will be following the Black Caps closely today.

Although they are more than 10,000km - and four time zones - away from New Zealand, support will be strong for their cricketing counterparts.

"It's great what they have been doing, it's unbelievable," said All Whites captain Chris Wood. "We can't wait to see what happens in the final and all of the boys will be cheering them on. I know they have made the whole country proud and they have got the ability to go one step further, definitely."

Many of the All Whites congregated in the team's physiotherapist room last Tuesday, to take in the final moments of the semi final against South Africa. Despite the multitude of television channels here the game wasn't broadcast and it was difficult to locate a stream so the team listened via the I heart radio application.

"We were set up in the room, listening to the game after training," said Wood. "At one point I didn't think they were going to do it but it was an amazing finish."

Some players even risked earning a team fine as the overs ticked down.

"[Grant Elliott's] six happened around 6.56pm (Korean time)," laughed Wood. "Most of us were nearly late for the [7.00pm] team dinner."

Like most of the country, Wood and his team are backing the Black Caps to complete the job today.

"I can't see why they can't," said Wood. "They are playing with such confidence at the moment."

Meanwhile, the All Whites continue their preparations today, with a series of team meetings before an afternoon training session at the Korean National Football Centre.

They completed an intense practice there in chilly conditions yesterday, while Korea had their own workout a few fields away (separated by large fences and trees).

New Zealand's already difficult assignment - taking on the Asian Cup runners up in their own backyard - has got a little more challenging after Korea's 1-1 draw with Uzbekistan on Friday.

The hosts started well but faded in the second half, drawing criticism from the local media. There is now even more pressure on the Reds to get a positive result against the All Whites.

"We know they are a good side, they showed that in the Asian Cup," said Wood. "But as long as we do what we have worked on and planned, we have a decent chance of getting a result. We know we are building for the future but we also need to show we can be competitive against these kind of teams."

The match kicks off at 12am Wednesday (NZT) and will be broadcast live on Sky Sport.

• Michael Burgess travelled to Korea with the support of ASB, the principal partner of NZ Football.