Four years ago in Germany, the Serbia-Montenegro team lost all three group matches, including a humiliating 6-0 defeat to Argentina wedged between narrow losses to Netherlands and Ivory Coast.
Coach Radomir Antic, who has led Serbia for two years, was reluctant to compare that squad to his current group of players.
But he was happy to look forward to Sunday's match in Group D against a Ghanaian team coached by a friend of his.
Led by Milovan Rajevac, the third Serb to coach Ghana in eight years, the Africans should have a good handle on their Balkan adversaries heading into the high-altitude match in Pretoria.
Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic is expected to be fit after missing the friendlies against Poland and Cameroon, while Ghana's Sulley Muntari has recovered from a thigh strain.
