Italy are in no danger of underestimating Monday's rivals Australia after Socceroos coach Guus Hiddink masterminded their downfall four years ago when in charge of South Korea.

The Azzurri are still haunted by that defeat in the last 16 in Japan and Korea, especially after crashing out of the European Championships two years later at the group stages.

However, Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is confident Hiddink will not succeed twice against them.

"We know Hiddink very well," said Buffon.

"He is a great coach and I think his CV speaks for itself.

"But four years have passed since Korea and Japan and things have changed."

The Italians have regained their self-belief since highly-experienced tactician Marcello Lippi replaced Giovanni Trapattoni two years ago and go into Monday's World Cup second-round showdown on the back of an impressive 21-game unbeaten run.

"Lippi has given us a boost in confidence," said Buffon. "We know we have a strong squad and we must continue to prove this on the pitch."

Despite finishing top of Group E thanks to wins over the Czech Republic and Ghana, Lippi's men were lucky to escape with a 1-1 draw against the USA and Buffon expects a similar battle against Hiddink's troops.

"It's going to be a hard game," said Buffon.

"I saw Australia play against Croatia and they reminded me of the United States, a strong side that has good technique.

"They score goals with ease and they have great enthusiasm."

Buffon, who has conceded just one goal in three games, knows his team cannot afford to lose concentration as they did against the Americans.

"I think the game against Australia is going to be very different game from our previous encounters in terms of psychological pressure," he said.

"From here on in you are either in or out, there's no room for errors."

The Italians go into Monday's clash with some uncertainty however.

Lippi's biggest dilemma is who will play up front alongside Alberto Gilardino, with Serie A's top scorer Luca Toni having failed to impress in the group stages.

Toni has yet to find the target and was on the bench against the Czechs.

Udinese's Vincenzo Iaquinta, who scored against Ghana and veteran forward Filippo Inzaghi, who struck Italy's second against the Czechs, are also fighting for the spot.

Lippi is unlikely to drop Francesco Totti from his starting XI despite the Roma playmaker clearly struggling to find his best form after recovering from a serious leg injury.

However, the pressure on Totti to perform as the team's main playmaker should be eased with Lippi set to adopt a 4-3-2-1 formation.

In that line-up, Gennaro Gattuso will join Andrea Pirlo and Simone Perrotta in midfield, in place of the suspended Daniele De Rossi.

Internazionale's Marco Materazzi is also set to join captain Fabio Cannavaro at the heart of Italy's defence with Alessandro Nesta out injured.