Greece defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos insists a training ground bust-up between Giorgos Tzavellas and Giannis Maniatis is past history as they focus on a make-or-break Group C clash against Japan on Thursday.

PAOK defender Tzavellas and Maniatis, who plays for Greek league rivals Olympiakos, had to be pulled apart by Fulham midfielder Giorgos Karagounis during a training ground clash on Tuesday.

According to reports the pair clashed after Maniatis complained about the quality of crosses being delivered by Tzavellas, prompting the Olympiakos defender to book a flight home before performing a U-turn.

The incident was later described as "trivial" by Papastathopoulos and the Borussia Dortmund defender insisted: "These things happen in all teams, but it was minor and trivial and is now in the past.

"It will have no effect on tomorrow's (Thursday) game. This is like a final for us and we're ready to give it 200 percent."

Greece, like Japan, need a win at Natal's Estadio das Dunas on Thursday if they are realistically to have any chance of staying in the competition.

The usually resolute Greek defence have a point to prove, said Roma's Vasilis Torosidis, following their crushing 3-0 defeat to Colombia.

"It wasn't the fact we conceded three goals, it was the way we conceded them. That's why that defeat rankles so much," said Torosidis.

"But I can assure you we're in the proper state of mind for Japan."

But, he added: "It's true we don't have a good record of scoring at the World Cup. The fact is, tomorrow we have to win whether it's an own goal or a goal from us.

"We need to come away with three points."

Bologna midfielder Lazaros Christodoulopoulos said: "What will make the difference is who wants to win more. Every match is different, but we have to score tomorrow to keep our hopes alive.

"In our last match we created a lot of chances. We just have to make sure we put them away."

Despite facing a constant barrage of questions on the training-ground bust-up, Greece coach Fernando Santos insisted it will have no bearing on his team selection.

"The starting line-up decision depends on how I see the game, and how we can win it, not on recent incidents within the team," said the 59-year-old, who steered the 2004 European champions to the quarter-finals of Euro 2012.

"I don't know if we need to make any changes. They might happen, they might not. What happened against Colombia was a lack of concentration, that's what has to change.

"If we go back to having the kind of focus I'm used to seeing, it really doesn't matter who will line up."