Pantelis Kapetanos and his Greece teammates are training hard in the hope of pulling off a huge shock against an "exceptional" Argentina in Group B of the World Cup.

The defensive Greeks have only a slim chance of advancing despite a 2-1 victory over Nigeria. Their goal difference is weighed down by an opening 2-0 loss to South Korea.

But Kapetanos said Greece could frustrate Argentina on Tuesday.

"We all know Argentina and know how good they are," the Steaua Bucharest player said.

"They have 22 fantastic players and (Lionel) Messi, who is one step higher in quality - the best player in the world.

"All the Argentina players are exceptional, but it's also up to us. If we play well, we can make it ... If we stay concentrated for the entire 90 minutes, I believe the match can be won," Kapetanos said. "We just have to play the way we know."

Kapetanos was only 11 the last time the two countries met in a World Cup. The South Americans routed Greece 4-0 in 1994, with current Argentina coach Diego Maradona scoring the final goal.

Under Maradona as coach, Argentina is one of the few teams to live up to its star billing in South Africa, with convincing wins over Nigeria and South Korea.

At Saturday's training, Greece captain Giorgos Karagounis and Vassilis Torosidis trained on the sidelines after picking up knocks in the game against Nigeria. Team officials said they should be fit to face Argentina.

Defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos said Greek fans should not dwell on their country's disastrous World Cup campaign in 1994, when they conceded 10 goals and scored none in three straight losses.

But he, too, heaped praised on Maradona's players in South Africa.

"There is no comparison (to 1994), because this is many years later," Papastathopoulos said.

"As a player, Maradona was the best there ever has been, and as a coach he's shown after two games that he has built a very good team.

"What's my ideal score against Argentina? I'd like to beat them 5-0," Papastathopoulos said. "OK, I'm joking."

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