Serbia and Montenegro had been picked by many before the World Cup to be a dark horse for this tournament, but after losing their opening match, the European side now need at least a draw on Friday in Gelsenkirchen against higher-rated Argentina to keep alive.

It's a tough task for Serbia and Montenegro as injury-worry has bitterly hit them with Nemanja Vidic, who was banned against the Netherlands, having been ruled out of the whole tournament with a knee ligament problem.

Serbia and Montenegro lost their opener 1-0 to the Netherlands last weekend and a second defeat at the South American powerhouse will probably send them packing.

In their only previous World Cup meeting, Argentina beat Serbia and Montenegro's predecessor Yugoslavia 3-2 on penalties after a goalless draw at the 1990 quarter-final in Florence.

To vie for a slim chance of reaching the knockout round, Serbia and Montenegro will have to step up their offensive game against Argentina, who lead Group C after winning 2-1 over Cote d'Ivoire.

In their first game against the Netherlands, Serbia and Montenegro controlled only 39% of possession and registered only four shots on target, barley testing the Dutch goalkeeper.

Coach Ilija Petkovic was criticized for his tactical decisions even by his own players.

"I don't see any logic starting an opener at the World Cup with such a closed formation," said midfielder Ognjen Koroman. "If we attacked them from the start, we could have scored. We also might have lost by several goals, but at least it wouldn't be in such a cowardly fashion.

"If we play with such a starting formation against Argentina, we stand no chance," he added. "That's not only my opinion, but also of several other players."

On the contrary, the star-packed Argentina are well on their way to accomplishing a determined mission of getting out of the "Group of Death" since they had failed to make it through to the last 16 in 2002.

In their opening match against Cote d'Ivoire, Argentina jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first half after goals from Herman Crespo and Javier Saviola, and Jose Pekerman's squad eventually held on for a 2-1 victory despite being outplayed considerably in the second half by the Elephants.

With the in-style performance, the South Americans can go any way leading to a second group win which may almost certainly see their passage to next phase.

Another good news for Argentines is that the talented striker of Barcelona, Lionel Messi, has shaken off a minor foot injury and and will be among the substitutes to deepen the team's bench.

Source: Xinhua