Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald has unveiled Australia's greenest line-up in history for the intimidating World Group play-off in Chile.
With Lleyton Hewitt recovering from a season-ending hip operation, world No.87 Chris Guccione is the squad's highest-ranked player.
Hewitt has been joined on the casualty list by doubles specialist Paul Hanley, who is booked in for thyroid surgery.
Guccione and clay-court specialist Peter Luczak are joined in the six-man outfit by four Davis Cup rookies - Carsten Ball, 21, Sam Groth, 20, Brydan Klein, 19, and 15-year-old boy wonder Bernard Tomic.
The fact Fitzgerald will be banking on the fitness of Luczak, who hasn't played since a first-round French Open loss in May, to fill a singles role suggests this is mission impossible for Australia.
At least two debutantes will be thrown into the deep end in the hostile South American environment to face a Chile team spearheaded by 2007 Australian Open finalist Fernando Gonzalez.
Teenagers Tomic and Klein, the winners of the past two Australian Open junior championships, are ranked 818 and 239 in the world respectively. Groth is No.234. Ball has lifted himself to No.188 but was a first-round loser at the US Open.
But rather than panic about the prospect of sending the boys into battle men, Fitzgerald declared it an exhilarating changing of the guard for Australian tennis.
"It's an exciting prospect really," Fitzgerald said.
"It's never easy to go in without a spearhead like Lleyton is. But this is a time when it gives other kids a chance."
"They are all very excited and I am excited to be able to take a younger squad."
"It's part of looking to the future and develop kids into the world-class players that we need."
Australia's last two trips to South America have ended in 5-0 whitewashes at the hands of Argentina in Buenos Aires.
A shock victory would elevate Australia to the competition's 16-nation World Group in 2009. If, as expected, Fitzgerald's side loses then the 28-times champions would remain in the Asia-Oceania division for at least another year.