Bahrain captain Mohamed Salmeen has called for one last push from his teammates as a historic place in the 2010 FIFA World Cup beckons for the tiny Gulf nation.

Milan Macala's men take on New Zealand in Saturday's AFC/OFC Playoff second leg in Wellington, where the Westpac Stadium is sold out for the winner-takes-all encounter. The first leg in Bahrain ended goalless.

"It's perhaps our biggest chance to reach the World Cup. And we don't want to waste it again," Salmeen said.

Salmeen is among 12 players in the current squad who took part in the agonising playoff defeat to Trinidad and Tobago four years ago that denied them a place in Germany 2006.

"A chance to qualify for the World Cup might not happen again in our generation," he added.

The 29-year-old playmaker helped Bahrain reach Asia's final qualifying round for the first time in 2001. Fellow central midfielder Sayed Jalal, record goalscorer Husain 'Pele' Ali, 'flying winger' Salman Isa and defender Abdulla Marzooq are also competing in their third World Cup campaign.

Defender Mohamed Husain is playing in his fourth campaign, although the 29-year-old is struggling with a back muscle injury.

Bahrain are expected to try to score early to put pressure on the All Whites, who are gunning for their second World Cup after a side featuring current coach Ricki Herbert reached the 1982 finals in Spain.

The Reds spent most of the week training in Sydney, in temperatures close to 30 degrees Celsius, before flying on Thursday to Wellington.

All Whites captain Ryan Nelsen was bemused at Bahrain's decision to arrive so late in Wellington, where cold and wet weather has been forecast for the 8.00pm kick-off.

"I was very surprised because there's a two-hour difference from Australia and the weather's going to be completely different," said the Blackburn Rovers centre-back.

However, Bahrain's confidence is high after they routed Togo 5-1 in a friendly last Saturday before leaving for Sydney.

Abdulla Baba Fatadi, a 24-year-old midfielder with Swiss club Neuchâtel Xamax, and 23-year-old striker Ismaeel Abdulatif each bagged a brace, while UAE-based defender Husain Baba also scored.

Bahrain's squad features three African-born players plying their trade in Europe. Nigeria-born Fatadi and Chad-born Abdulla Omar, who plays right-back for the Reds, both joined Neuchatel Xamax in the summer, while Nigeria-born striker Jaycee John is in his second season with Mouscron in Belgium's top flight.