KEY POINTS:
Coaches Steve Cain and Paul Marshall have many balls in the air as they attempt to juggle their way through a testing few days of New Zealand Football Championship and Oceania League action.
In a quirky situation, Auckland City (Marshall) and Waitakere United (Cain) are playing O-League matches
to find the Oceania representative for December's Fifa Club World Cup at the same time they are playing in the NZFC, which will find the New Zealand team(s) for next summer's O-League.
Under the Oceania play-off rules, Waitakere United and Auckland City had to submit a list of players some weeks ago from which their squads for O-League games can be named.
"That means we will have to select different teams depending on which competition we are playing in," said Cain yesterday.
"It's difficult and a bit complicated."
Although he will not be at tomorrow's home game against Otago United, Cain is certain to name Mikael Munday and Marcel Isakowitz in the starting line-up but he will not be able to play them in Wednesday's O-League battle with City at Trusts Stadium.
City coach Marshall will have to make do without recent signings Glen Eie and Craig Dale for both tomorrow's O-League game against AS Mont Dore in New Caledonia and Wednesday's clash with Waitakere. But they will be available for the key NZFC game against YoungHeart Manawatu at Kiwitea St tomorrow week.
Marshall and his City team - with Cain - flew to Noumea yesterday afternoon in a journey into the unknown.
"We know very little about the New Caledonians," said Marshall.
"They have only played six or seven games this season as they have been on a break since early December because of the heat. They have had some recent games including one against the Vanuatu national side."
While he will be without his new signings, Marshall takes some heart that key playmaker Grant Young has been given the okay to travel after initial fears that work commitments would keep him at home.
Keryn Jordan, back from South Africa after attending his father's funeral, is ruled out with an ankle injury.
Cain is happy he will get a look at AS Mont Dore before facing them at Trusts Stadium next month.
"I don't know anything about them. I spent a lot of time working in the islands but at that time New Caledonia was only an associate member of Oceania and I never went there," said Cain.
"It will be good to have a look at them before they come down here on February 20."
It will also be another opportunity to size up City before Wednesday's battle which could have a huge bearing on finding the eventual O-League winner.
"The next few days will be massive," said Cain. "We have the home game against Otago, the O-League game against City on Wednesday and then the crucial away game with Canterbury United."
Waitakere, under the watchful eye of assistant coach Kevin Hagan tomorrow, will be close to full strength with goalkeeper Michael Utting expected to return after having stitches in the elbow injury he copped against Manawatu.
Defender George Suri is back from his Solomon Islands sojourn and available for selection.
Danny Hay has returned to training after his lengthy injury break and Cain expects Jason Rowley back next week.
In other matches this weekend, Canterbury are at home to Manawatu tomorrow in the game of the round. Canterbury will get an unexpected boost with striker Henry Fa'arodo delaying plans to return to state league play in Melbourne. Waikato FC and Hawkes Bay United meet in the bottom-of-the-table clash in Hamilton on Sunday.
NOUMEA-BOUND
Auckland City squad to play AS Mont Dore .-
Ross Nicholson, Jason Hayne, Ben Sigmund, Paul Seaman, Jonathan Perry, Liam Mulrooney, James Pritchett, Jonathan Smith, Paul Urlovic, Grant Young, Neil Sykes, Richard Gillespie, Cole Tinkler, Christoph Pospich, Luiz del Monte, Chad Coombes, Greg Uhlmann, Paul Vodanovich.