Wellington: Defending champions Brazil have chosen lowly New Zealand for their final tune-up before the football World Cup finals in Germany, in a move which has stunned the match-starved New Zealand.
The prospect of facing Brazil a week before the finals in June is "jaw-dropping stuff", said New Zealand captain Danny Hay.
"There's just one word for it -- unbelievable," he said when it was confirmed the match would take place in Geneva on June 4.
The All-Whites, who played just one international last year, are now trying to arrange two warm-up games of their own in Europe before the Brazil match, and will also play Chile twice in April.
Brazil, seeking a record-extending sixth World Cup triumph in Germany, are expected to field a full-strength line-up -- including superstars such as Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaka and Roberto Carlos -- in their last hit-out before their opening pool match against Croatia nine days later.
The All-Whites, who made the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain, are now ranked a lowly 122nd in the world, leaving defender Steven Old to ponder: "If we beat them and they go on to win the World Cup, does that mean we're the best in the world?"
New Zealand and Brazil have met twice before, at the 1982 World Cup, where Brazil won 4-0 and in the 1999 Confederations Cup finals in Mexico, where the South Americans triumphed 2-0.
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