New Zealand Women's World Cup 2023 squad: Who's in & who's out?

Erin Nayler is the undisputed number-one choice between the sticks for Klimkova. She has 80 international caps and is one of the most experienced players in the squad.

She plies her trade in Swedish outfit IFK Norrkoping, where she is also a regular.

Victoria Esson is another player who can be a solid deputy to Nayler. The 32-year-old plies her trade with Rangers and has 12 international caps.

Young shot-stopper Anna Leat of Aston Villa is the third-keeper role in the squad.

Klimkova likes to stick to a traditional four-player backline. It is quite a task to predict her favourite defenders as she likes to chop and change quite often depending on the opposition.

However, Ali Riley is one of the constants and she is likely to take her place at right-back, though the skipper has been used as a right centre-back on many occasions. Katie Bowen is a good fit for the left-centre-back position.

Among the exclusions, Meikayla Moore's snub is a bit of a surprise as the Glasgow City defender started in all of New Zealands' games in 2021 and 2022. However, Moore would be kept as a one of the three standbys in case of of injuries before the World Cup.

CJ Bott, the Leicester City defender, is another experienced campaigner who can play both left-back and right-back, while Elizabeth Anton weighs in as another option at left-back.

Klimkova predominantly fields four midfielders, with Betsy Hassett dictating proceedings. The 32-year-old plays for Wellington Phoenix and is one of the first names on the team sheet.

She is generally deployed as a central midfielder, with Daisy Cleverley as her partner. The latter plays for Danish club HB Koge and is an anchor in midfield. She has a competitor in 24-year-old Malia Steinmetz, who plays at Western Sydney Wanderers.

Olivia Chance, the 29-year-old Celtic winger, can be deployed on the wide area on the left.

Meanwhile, Ria Percival and Annalie Longo have overcome their respective long-term injuries to earn their call-ups to the set-up.

Hannah Wilkinson will shoulder the responsibility of leading the line in the 2023 FIFA World Cup. The 31-year-old has 27 goals for the Football Ferns and is the most experienced forward in the squad with over 100 caps.

She is likely to be partnered by Gabi Rennie, the 20-year-old Arizona State Sun Devils player who has shown incredible improvement in her form after moving to the United States. She scored on her debut against Australia in the Tokyo Olympics. Whereas, Paige Satchell, the Wellington Phoenix striker, is her stiff competitor for the second striker's spot.

New Zealand also boast a considerable bench strength in the attacking department, with the likes of Milly Clegg, Jacqui Hand, and Indiah-Paige Riley also vying for the starting spot.

A 4-4-2 system is preferred by Klimkova. She likes to tinker with her starting XI and hardly repeats the same set of players.

Erin Nayler should continue to keep her place between the sticks. Ali Riley will be in charge of marshalling the defence, along with Katie Bowen at the heart of the backline. CJ Bott and Elizabeth Anton should be the right and left-backs, respectively.

Betsy Hassett is the linchpin in midfield and will be joined by Daisy Cleverley at the centre of the park. Meanwhile, with Olivia Chance on the right flank, it is likely to be between Gabi Rennie and Paige Satchell on the other side.

Jacqui Hand is likely to partner with Hannah Wilkinson upfront.

New Zealand XI (4-3-3): Nayler; Bott, Riley, Bowen, Anton; Chance, Hassett, Cleverley, Rennie; Hand, Wilkinson