Handed a tough draw in a group featuring Argentina and Nigeria, the Euro 2004 winners know a positive result is essential against the 2002 World Cup co-hosts if they are to maintain their hopes of progressing to the knockout stage.

And Panathinaikos defender Spyropoulos is in no doubt about the task ahead, starting this weekend in Port Elizabeth.

"As everybody knows, the first match is the crunch match," he told South Africa's Supersport. "It's essential to get a winning result.

"We will have to deal with a very disciplined team. I hope that on Saturday we'll be as fit as possible to achieve that goal."

Midfielder Christos Patsatzoglou concurred with his team-mate.

"All the players are living a dream because the World Cup is the greatest tournament in the world," he said.

"We know we have a key game against South Korea. If we win, we are in a position to try to qualify for the next round.

"It's very important not to lose, everybody knows that."

Patsatzoglou expects Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung to be South Korea's main threat.

"Park is definitely their top player," he said. "We've seen lots of DVDs of South Korea, but not only of Park in action.

"All their players are good and work well as a team. It's important for us to be focused and get the win."