Wellington - Veteran New Zealand captain Ryan Nelsen hopes to be fit for Sunday's World Cup qualifier against Bahrain in Manama, Radio New Zealand reported on Monday. Nelsen, 31, who skippers the English side Blackburn Rovers, missed his team's 6-2 drubbing by Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday with a back problem suffered against Aston Villa last week.
Radio New Zealand said Nelsen would fly to Dubai to join theNew Zealand squad, which assembles there Tuesday to prepare for the Bahrain game, but may sit out the first training session.
Missing the game would be a bitter blow for Nelsen and his country. A veteran of 39 caps since making his international debut 10 years ago, the central defender missed the last Confederations Cup campaign in South Africa with a torn calf muscle.
