New Zealand arrange Austrian stint, friendly with Serbia

New Zealand will prepare for their first World Cup campaign in 28 years with a training camp at altitude in Austria ahead of a May friendly with Serbia, the New Zealand Football Federation said Saturday.

The Kiwis will be playing their Group F matches at between 660 and 1310 metres above sea level against Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay.

The date of the match against the Serbs at Klagenfurt has yet to be fixed.

Serbia themselves will meet Germany, Australia and Ghana in Group D.

Another Kiwi warm up will come against Slovenia on June 4 in Maribor.

“We?ll be at altitude, in a country with very good training facilities and two excellent opponents to play so you couldn?t ask for anything more,” said coach Ricki Herbert of the Austrian camp.

On March 3, the Kiwis will face Mexico in Los Angeles to get a feel of how to tackle Latin American opposition in preparation for their duel with Paraguay.