Ghana and Serbia will meet for the first time at the World Cup on Sunday in Pretoria, South Africa.
A second consecutive World Cup appearance for both teams saw them rewarded with a Group D placement, joining three-time winner Germany and Australia, both of which reached the knockout stage of the tournament four years ago.
In 2006, Ghana went 2-1-0 to finish second in a group that included eventual champion Italy, the Czech Republic and the United States. The team's run ended in the next round with a 3-0 loss to Brazil.
Serbia may have been the biggest disappointment of 2006, when it competed as Serbia and Montenegro. The team was outscored 10-2 while losing all three games to Argentina, the Netherlands and the Ivory Coast in what had been dubbed "The Group of Death."
Ghana feels that the last World Cup could help it endure another difficult group.
"The experience helped us reach this place," said defender John Mensah, one of nine Ghana players on the current roster that played in Germany in 2006. "And I think our experience is going to help us to move higher than where we reached in 2006 ... I believe this time we are determined, and we believe that we are going to achieve important things in this World Cup."
Ghana, the lowest-ranked team in the group at 32nd, will have to endure the absence of captain Michael Essien, who is out for the tournament due to a knee injury.
Sulley Muntari's return from a thigh injury could soften the blow caused by Essien's absence. The rugged midfielder, who had a goal in a 2-0 win over the Czechs in 2006, is expected to be in the lineup Sunday.
Serbia was one of the biggest surprises in qualifying, going 7-2-1 and edging out France for the top spot in the group. However, the team had mixed results in friendlies over the last two weeks, losing 1-0 to New Zealand before playing Poland to a scoreless draw and beating Cameroon 4-3.
Djan Stankovic, who scored against Cameroon, is expected to be the creative force and leader for Serbs after struggling at the last World Cup. The midfielder has 14 goals in 88 games for the national team and is coming off his most successful season with Inter in Italy, helping the club to the Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia titles.
Despite Serbia's erratic play and poor performance in 2006, Ghana's Stephen Appiah isn't overlooking a team that is ranked 15th by FIFA.
"For now we are not even thinking about Australia," Appiah said. "We are focusing on Serbia. Everyone is talking about Germany and Australia, but let me tell you I am scared of Serbia because they are aggressive and technically they are good."
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