La Serena: James Rodriguez believes that facing Argentina in the quarter finals of Copa America 2015 presents Colombia with a great chance to raise their game.

Colombia scraped through the first phase, finishing in third position following a goalless draw with Peru.

Their placing sets up a last-eight meeting with Group B winners La Albiceleste, and the Real Madrid star thinks that taking on one of the tournament favourites is a great opportunity.

"Everyone knows that they have good players, but Colombia intends to play," James said in a press conference.

"I never want to play bad but sometimes it's not how you want. Friday is a great match to try and make things better.

"We always want to win. There are still four more days to talk, but there are always things that can be improved."

The 23-year-old is yet to show the sort of form that earned him a move to the Santiago Bernabeu after an impressive World Cup last year.

Lionel Messi has also struggled to translate his club form from this season to the Copa, and while James acknowledged his ability, he feels that Jose Pekerman's men are up to the task of taking his side on.

"Messi is in another world - he is a unique player. Colombia can play against a tough team," he added.

Colombia had a nervous wait to find out if they would feature in the quarter-finals following their draw with Peru, but Brazil's win against Venezuela was the result they needed in order to progress.

James revealed that waiting on the outcome of that match proved nerve-wracking.

"We wanted to go through and we knew we could get some help and that happened. Those three hours were intense, hoping that someone won," he concluded. (Agencies)