NEWCASTLE Jets defender Dane Ingham will be out to spoil the Socceroos World Cup send-off after he was named in the New Zealand side for the two-game series this month.
Newcastle United striker Chris Wood and Empoli full-back Liberato Cacace lead the 24-man squad named by All Whites coach Danny Hay on Monday.
But there's no Clayton Lewis or Sarpreet Singh, sidelined through injury, Kosta Barbarouses, who will miss with suspension, or Marco Rojas.
The trans-Tasman rivals play in Brisbane on September 22 and Auckland on September 25, which will be the first match for New Zealand on home soil in three years.
"The majority of the squad have never represented the All Whites in New Zealand," Hay said. "The players are absolutely buzzing for this ... this is going to be a proud moment for everyone."
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold will name his squad on Wednesday.
There are nine Europe-based players in the squad and seven from the A-League, including four from Wellington Phoenix.
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold will name his squad on Wednesday.
New Zealand's last match was the inter-continental World Cup playoff in June, when Costa Rica edged the Kiwis 1-0 for a place in Qatar.
Ingham was in the squad but did not feature in the loss to Costa Rica, with Italy-based Niko Kirwan preferred.
The 23-year-old right back made his debut for the All Whites in 2017 and has 11 caps. he was part of the New Zealand under-23 squad which played at the Tokyo Olympics.
While Australia will use the matches as a springboard to the World Cup, beginning in November, New Zealand will head into hiatus following the series.
Hay said the governing body were feeling the pinch from missing Qatar and weren't likely to play again until March.
"There was more than just getting to the World Cup in that game against Costa Rica. The $16 million was a big factor and it was a big part of New Zealand Football's financial planning," he said.
The matches could also be Hay's last at the helm, with a contract expiring at month's end.
The 47-year-old said it was undecided whether he'd stay on, but he felt he had more to offer in the role.
"We'll have time to sit down on how everything's gone and then make some decisions," he said.
Hay was controversially chosen for the role ahead of Des Buckingham, who led New Zealand to a win against Erling Haaland-led Norway at the 2019 Under-19 World Cup.
NEW ZEALAND: Goalkeepers: Alex Paulsen, Oli Sail, Michael Woud
Defenders: Kyle Adams, Michael Boxall, Liberato Cacace, Dane Ingham, Tim Payne, Nando Pijnaker, Winston Reid, Storm Roux, Bill Tuiloma, Deklan Wynne
Midfielders: Joe Bell, Matt Garbett, Cam Howieson, Ben Old, Marko Stamenic
Forwards: Andre de Jong, Alex Greive, Elijah Just, Callum McCowatt, Ben Waine, Chris Wood
