After an eye-opening taste to the upper ranks of international football with an 8-1 defeat by Iran on Thursday night, Papua New Guinea Kapuls are gearing up for the match against Malaysia today.
The fray of OFC Stage 3 of FIFA World Cup Qualifying in March has heightened as teams are safeguarding their tours and trials vital in preparation for the Qualifers.
The Kapuls now will play Malaysia, who they recently defeated in Port Moresby a week after the OFC finals against New Zealand.
As of Saturday, Nov 12, New Zealand were hosting Group A rivals New Caledonia in Auckland.
Meanwhile, Solomon Islands and Tahiti continue their push to get a jump on PNG in Group B. They challenged in Honiara on Saturday.
The OFC battle for the qualifiers for the World Cup Qualifiers is still on as teams try to force their way through to become one of two to the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in Russia next year.