All Whites coach Anthony Hudson has decided to release captain Chris Wood and midfielder Ryan Thomas for the second leg of the Oceania World Cup qualifying final against the Solomon Islands.
New Zealand defeated the Solomon Islands 6-1 in a dominant performance at North Harbour Stadium on Friday night, with Wood scoring a hat-trick to reach 23 international goals and climb to third on the all-time scorer's list.
Thomas also found the back of the net in the match for his goal for the All Whites.
Hudson feels they have enough depth in their squad to deal with the upcoming challenge in Honiara without two of their key playmakers in Wood (Burnley FC, England) and Thomas (PEC Zwolle, Netherlands).
"I have made the decision to release Chris and Ryan as we have the players within this group to win the game and finish the job," Hudson said in a statement.
"I wanted to either rest them on the bench or send them back early and I've decided to do the latter.
"We're not taking anything for granted and it's a matter of pride that we prepare correctly and go there to win.
"We know it is not going to be easy in Honiara and the objective for this group of players is simple; perform well, win the game and confirm our place in the Intercontinental Playoff.
"No one in our squad is thinking about November yet and we can't afford to with what is at stake in this match."
The winner of the home and away fixtures will advance to the Intercontinental Playoff against the fifth-ranked South American team in November for a place in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The All Whites fly out to the Solomon Islands on Monday morning.
Newshub.