Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni promised his team would play out of their skins in thier last-16 clash against Australia to ensure there are no more surprises at the tournament.

"We will break our backs on this pitch to compete, we know how difficult this World Cup is, this is football," Sacloni told the reporters on Friday.

Scaloni said Argentina must shed the "favourites" tag going into the contest, while De Paul said they had analysed the team that beat Tunisia and Denmark in the group stage.

"It will be a similar game to that of Poland, we'll have the ball but they'll have wide players on the flanks - coverage will be important," De Paul said.

"I think it's a very fast team, focusing on wide players, and they have tall centre backs as well. I think we shouldn't make fouls near the area.

"They have very fast wingers and their main strength is their counter-attack, so we need to be very careful. We shouldn't be on the back foot... It will be difficult for our midfield and defence so our forwards are free to roam."

Australia are back in the knockout stages for the first time since 2006.

Australia coach Graham Arnold has promised Argentina a war on Saturday when the Socceroos look to spring an upset for the ages in the last 16 of the World Cup.

With a blend of team spirit and dogged determination, Arnold's unheralded underdogs have already notched up victories over Tunisia and Denmark in Qatar to reach the knockout stages for only the second time.

Arnold said they were not finished yet and would be in Argentina's faces for 90 minutes to try and give the South Americans as little time on the ball as possible.

"No disrespect to Argentina or anything at all, but it's 11 v 11, and it's 10 blue shirts against 10 yellow shirts, and it's a battle," he told a news conference on Friday.

"It's a war, and we've got to fight that and make sure that the boys are in great physical shape, great mental shape, they've got great energy, and we go out there and give it all guns blazing."

When?

3rd December, 01:00 am, Bangladesh time

Where?

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar

Head-to-head

Matches 7

Argentina 5

Australia 1

Draw 1

Probable lineups

Argentina: (4-3-3) E. Martinez (GK), Molina, Otamendi, Romero, Acuna, Mac Allister, Fernandez, De Paul; Alvarez, Messi, Dybala

Australia: (4-4-2) Ryan (GK), Karacic, Souttar, Rowles, Behich, Mooy, Leckie, Irvine, McGree, Goodwin, Duke

Key stats:

* Argentina have played eight round of 16 matches since the current tournament format was introduced in 1986, losing only to Romania in 1994 and eventual champions France four years ago.

* Including two in Qatar, Argentina forward Leo Messi has scored eight World Cup goals over five tournaments since 2006. None of them have been in knockout matches.

* Australia have played only one previous last 16 match in their six visits to the World Cup, losing 1-0 to Italy courtesy of a controversial penalty in 2006.

* Australia did not concede a goal in their last two group matches in Qatar, their first clean sheets since their maiden trip to the finals in 1974.

Previous meetings:

* Argentina have played Australia seven times since 1988, winning five, drawing one and losing one. The teams have never met at the World Cup finals but Argentina won a two-legged intercontinental playoff to qualify for the 1994 tournament.