Fiji will be thrown into the deep end this afternoon, when they open their Oceania Nations Cup campaign against defending champions New Zealand in Honiara.
Fiji's preparations have been less than ideal, with frequent flooding in their homeland disrupting training and practice matches.
Coach Carlos Buzzetti says that with such a disjointed lead in he will be leaning on the experience of his senior players.
"We're talking about quality. We're talking about a team that won in the world cup qualification. You need to be realistic about what we're going to face. We need to prepare very well and I need this experience - I need players that have played in New Zealand already. Now they know what to do and they're more mature physical, better mentally, better tactically. I wish I had another two or three weeks then I would be more confident."
Carlos Buzzetti says Fiji's main aim is to qualify for the tournament semi finals to ensure they advance to the third round of World Cup qualifiers.
The other match today is another Group B clash between hosts Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
