Argentina defender Roberto Ayala has warned his team not to under-estimate the threat posed by the strikeforce of Serbia & Montenegro.

The two teams meet in Gelsenkirchen on Friday, with Ayala's side knowing a win will all but seal a place in the last 16.

However, the veteran stopper is wary of writing off the Serbs after their 1-0 defeat by the Netherlands in their opening game.

He told reporters: "They have good players and that defeat will motivate them to go forward more, looking for a good result.

"Savo Milosevic and Mateja Kezman are two forwards that complement each other very well.

"When they attack through the channels they become stronger and we must control that.

"We have to see what character they will have because it's obvious they have some problems.

"But when the time comes to play the game your character will usually be the same as for any other game."