Blackburn defender Ryan Nelsen has described New Zealand's World Cup play-off against Bahrain as a "do-or-die" match.

Ricki Herbert's side travel to Manama as they aim to end a stay of 28 years in the football wilderness and secure a ticket to South Africa next year.

New Zealand have fared well on their travels recently with a 3-1 win over Jordan in Amman particularly impressive and, with attacking talents such as A-League top scorer Shane Smeltz, Celtic's Chris Killen and Plymouth striker Rory Fallon in their ranks, they will be confident of getting something at Bahrain National Stadium.

There were doubts in the build-up to the game that skipper Nelsen would be fit to play having been left out of Blackburn's defeat by Arsenal last weekend.

But the 31-year-old has recovered and he is expecting a different encounter to that which he is used to on a weekly basis in England.

"The Premier league is constant, it's week in, week out," he said. "You generally know your opposition, the stadiums you play in and the surroundings.

"It's like your job but this is a one-off sort of thing. It's a do-or-die situation, you can't go out next week and get the three points back. It means everything."

Bahrain coach Milan Macala, meanwhile, knows making the most of home advantage in the first leg will be crucial to his side's hopes of making amends for the heartbreak they suffered four years ago.

The Asian side lost to Trinidad & Tobago at the same stage in 2005 to miss out on a place at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Macala has crafted a side that have proved difficult to beat during the qualifiers, holding their own against stronger opponents such as Australia and Japan.

And the Czech coach is confident his players are focused solely on getting the crucial advantage tomorrow.

"The spirit of our players is high and we will fight until the end to qualify for the World Cup," he said. "We don't want to lose this precious chance and we will fight for it.

"Playing at home in the first leg is very important for us because we want to see the support of our fans, which will help the players a lot to have a good result."

The second leg takes place in New Zealand on November 14.