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Bahrain's national football side - Source: Reuters -
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On Sunday morning the All Whites take on Bahrain in one of the biggest games ever in NZ football, but just who are this largely unknown side?
Just who are Bahrain?
On Sunday morning (NZT) the New Zealand All Whites take on Bahrain in one of the biggest games of their careers.
A result against Bahrain home and away will see the New Zealand side reach their first FIFA World Cup since 1982.
Much has been written about the All Whites' campaign to reach the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where they have the chance of joining the likes of already qualified Brazil, England and Australia, but little is known about the side New Zealand are set to take on.
Below we take a look at the only team standing in the way of a World Cup berth.
Who: Bahrain national football team
Nickname: Al-Ahmar - The Red
Coach: Milan Macala
Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa
FIFA Ranking : 64
Story so far:
Founded in 1951 the Bahraini national football team, otherwise known as The Red, is the national side of the Kingdom of Bahrain, a small island country in the Persian Gulf.
Although the side joined FIFA in 1966, they are yet to reach a World Cup.
They did come close in to making the finals in Germany '06 but where defeated by Trinidad and Tobago 1-0 in the second-leg playoff helping make the side the smallest nation to reach the illustrious competition - a feat Bahrain will supersede should they beat New Zealand to the finals.
And while the side, coached by the Czech Republic's Milan Macala, have yet to make a splash on the international stage, they did win the title of FIFA's most improved team in 2004 after finishing a respectable fourth in the 2004 Asian Cup.
Road to South Africa 2010:
The road to South Africa has been a long and winding one for this small national side.
Drawn into group B along with Japan, Oman and Thailand, a fantastic run saw them net wins against all three teams, but a 1-1 draw against Oman at home saw them finish second in their group to qualify for the final round.
In the final qualification round Bahrain were put into group A with Australia, Japan, Uzbekistan and Qatar.
The side finished third in the group below Australia and Japan after winning three, drawing one and losing four of their games, meaning they had to go into a playoff with Saudi Arabia to decide which team would continue in the hopes of reaching the World Cup.
The first leg ended in stalemate, but a thrilling 2-2 draw, that
saw Bahrain's Ismaeel Abdullatif bag a stunning equaliser in the
fourth minute of injury time, saw the side make it through to the
playoff with the New Zealand All Whites.
Players to watch
While Bahrain may not have players in some of Europe's top football leagues, they do have players who play for overseas clubs, like midfielder duo Abdullah Fatai and Abdullar Omar (Switzerland) and star striker Jaycee John, who plays for Belgium club Racing Excelsior Mouscron.
And it is Nigeria-born John, who scored Bahrain's first goal during the side's crucial second-leg clash with Saudi Arabia, who Bahrain will be hoping can bring them the goods against the Kiwis.
Bahrain v The New Zealand All Whites (Sunday 4.15am NZT)
In the first leg of this World Cup qualification clash Bahrain take on the All Whites in Riffa with the hopes and dreams of their fans weighing heavily on the national side's shoulders and qualification for the World Cup means everything to them.
Bahrain have no doubt had a tougher road to reach qualification, but that doesn't mean they are taking New Zealand lightly, as their coach has warned the fans not to get complacent against the side, telling reporters: "They are a very difficult and very serious opponent. It will not be easy against them."
But even though they are a small nation, the passion and fire to put right their missed opportunity to reach the World Cup in 2006 burns for this side and New Zealand may find they face a tougher task than imagined in Manama on Sunday.
To listen to New Zealand All Whites Ivan Vicelich talking about the upcoming Bahrain clash on this weeks TalkFootball podcast CLICK HERE.
