Football: Erceg calls for Ferns to stand-up and be counted

Football Ferns captain Abby Erceg wants her team to stand-up and be counted in Sunday's international against PHOTO/JOHN STONE.

Football Ferns captain Abby Erceg wants her team to stand-up and be counted in Sunday's international against the world's fourth-ranked France.

The 102-cap 'veteran' - at only 25 years of age - believes the match at Laval in western France is a further chance to test the Football Ferns as the begin their preparation phase towards next year's FIFA Football World Cup in Canada.

The team, which has come together from around the globe, has had a long list of things to cover off before Sunday's encounter, the first of three internationals in six days.

"From playing in the qualifiers last month to now taking on teams in the top-10 in the world means there are a lot of things we need to cover," Erceg said.

"It has been a busy few days since we have been here and there are a lot to work on but to play one of the top-10 teams is exciting for us."

The defender from USV Jena in Germany said the team were excited to be playing a team of the stature of France but at the same time she is hope the team will not let the occasion get the better of them.

"We have not played them (France) very often. Our results in the last couple of years are improving and obviously we are going to be playing these teams in the World Cup so the more games we can get against teams like this the better.

"But we are also hoping to do well in the World Cup so it is important to do well tomorrow. It is hard to get games like this especially in Europe so we are really looking forward to it.

"It's all about performance for us so we are looking for a strong game."

The Football Ferns steam-rolled their way through the World Cup qualifiers and before that earned two draws against sixth-ranked Brazil at home.

"Those games are always good in terms of giving us a confidence-boost. It's good to store that in the back of your mind but we have to prepare well and focus on our opposition and study them and how they play. They are quite a tall team which will be challenging especially at set pieces."

There's a double-edged sword for Erceg and coach Tony Readings for the three matches this week against France and Norway in developing some new options in their game.

"We do have things that we want to try in this game but it is a fine balance between trying these things and getting the results because at this stage results are quite important. And we do want to send a message to the other teams that we are a threat."

France v Football Ferns
Sunday 23 November, 6.30am (NZ time)
LIVE on Sky Sport 3