A little Argentine looms as a big problem for the Olyroos when they play their second match of the Beijing Olympics at 7:00pm (AEST) tomorrow night.
Lionel Messi, the 169cm Barcelona superstar, is expected to line up for the defending champions at Shanghai Stadium after getting a late clearance from his club and playing a big role in Argentina's 2-1 win over Ivory Coast.
But it's not just Messi the Olyroos will need to worry about.
The Argentine side is brimming with stars, including Boca Juniors playmaker Juan Riquelme and Liverpool's Javier Mascherano - and Australian coach Graham Arnold knows it.
"Messi is an important player to them and he is a great player, as he showed two days ago, but so too are Riquelme and several other players so we can't just concentrate on Messi," Arnold said.
"We have to go into this game with a positive attitude and a positive approach.
"We can't just sit back and try to contain a team like Argentina because sooner or later they'll get you."
Australia scratched out a 1-1 draw with Serbia in their opening game and Arnold is expected to make changes, particularly in the midfield given the hot, humid conditions in Shanghai.
"I haven't made up my mind where it will be but with three days between games we need to make sure there's some fresh legs on the pitch from the start," he said.
Messi's club relented at the last moment after winning a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that allowed them to keep him out of the Games shortly before Argentina's opening match of the tournament.
Argentina coach Sergio Batista praised the 21-year-old, who scored a goal and had a hand in the second to put his team on top of Group A after Thursday night's game.
"He has fantastic pace and he had prepared himself for this game very well along with his team-mates," Batista said.
"After a lot of effort, he finally adapted to the weather."
Asked what he knew about Australia's players and style, Argentina coach Sergio Batista's response was hardly insightful, perhaps betraying his thoughts on what little threat he believes the Olyroos might pose.
"Australia's formation will be very similar to that of the Ivory Coast. It's a four-four-two," Batista said.
"Every game is different, so we will prepare ourselves mentally and in every other sense."
