Winning the game against Serbia would pretty much straighten things up for Argentina in the group. They will go to the knockout stages, the only problem being the position in the group. But they will meet a team that plays their very survival in the championship.

“We’ll have to see what character they have at the moment of the match,” said centre-back Roberto Ayala, who held a news conference with reserve striker Julio Cruz after Argentina’s late afternoon practice.

“Vidic is a serious loss. Gabriel was telling us what a good defender he is,” Ayala said, referring to the Serb’s Manchester United team mate Gabriel Heinze.

Serbia is not to be taken lightly, even if they are not considered one of the better teams in the WOrld Cup.

Ayala, who has Spanish league experience against strikers Savo Milosevic and Mateja Kezman, said: “They are two forwards who complement each other pretty well.

“One of them comes forward from deeper positions or drops off to the wings like Kezman,” he said.

“Milosevic is more of a player who holds the ball up, playing well with his back to goal and when the ball goes out to the sides, that’s when he becomes strongest.”

Source: WCoffsite