Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is determined not to take Australia lightly when Marcello Lippi's side face the Socceroos in the last 16 of the World Cup finals on Monday.

The Italians struggled to impress in the 1-1 draw against nine-man USA last weekend and Buffon is determined to avoid a repeat performance against Guus Hiddink's outfit.

"It will be a tough one, even if objectively they have to be considered manageable opponents," he said.

"They are very strong physically and are an enterprising side who have a lot of confidence in themselves.

"They have scored five goals in their three games and we need to be very careful because they have nothing to lose against us.

"We won't make the mistake we made against the US again. In this game there will be no second chance - it's win or go home. It will be vital to be at our top physically and mentally.

"They are a similar side to the Americans but against the US we made problems for ourselves and we won't do that again - I am convinced, with all respect for our opponents, that we can get through to the next round."