Holland will travel to Euro 2012 desperate to make amends for their extra-time World Cup final defeat to Spain two years ago and there is no doubt they have enough technically gifted players to make a real impression in Poland and Ukraine.
The 1998 European champions breezed through their qualifying campaign, winning nine and drawing one of their 10 fixtures to finish three points clear of Sweden at the summit.
However, it pays to note that their group contained the likes of San Marino and Moldova, making it difficult to assess the true condition of Bert van Marwijk’s side.
Their run to the 2010 World Cup final should be considered a triumph, even if their aggressive tactics were often criticised, as prior to that they had earned a reputation for freezing in the latter stages of major tournaments – as three semi-final defeats from their last five international competitions will testify.
The squad still contains the similar names we saw reach the final in South Africa, with the likes of Arjen Robben, Nigel de Jong and veteran Mark van Bommel all poised to pull on the famous orange shirt once more.
They have a solid, experienced and talented spine, with goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg well shielded by defenders Johnny Heitinga and Joris Mathijsen.
De Jong and van Bommel then provide further protection in midfield, allowing the likes of Robben, Wesley Snejider and Rafael van der Vaart time and space to feed the strikers.
And it is up front where Holland’s hopes rest. They smashed home 37 goals in their qualifying games with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar top-scoring with 12 (Huntelaar 20/1 – Euro 2012 top scorer), while Dirk Kuyt and Robin van Persie scored six each.
Their key man is undoubtedly van Persie. The 28-year-old enjoyed a memorable season in the Premier League with Arsenal, scoring 37 goals in all competitions and picking up the English PFA Player of the Year Award.
Van Persie is currently priced as the 10/1 second favourite to be top scorer at the tournament, with a van Persie/Holland double priced at a generous 20/1.
If he can transfer his form from the Emirates Stadium to eastern Europe, then the Oranje will take some stopping. However, you should also remember that the draw made in December was not particularly kind to van Persie and co, with Germany, Portugal and Denmark placed alongside them in Group B.
Their opening clash with Denmark on June 9 (Holland 8/13, draw 12/5, Denmark 4/1) should give them the chance to get early points on the board, with the Danes widely tipped to take the wooden spoon.
Given Germany’s impressive record at major tournaments it isn’t surprising that they and Holland are evens to qualify together from the group, even with the presence of Portugal providing a significant stumbling block.
If they can escape their group though then the potential quarter-final draw has been kind.
Group A is generally seen as the weakest of the four and van Marwijk will not be afraid of taking on Poland, Russia, Greece or the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals, which would then leave them just 90 minutes away from a second consecutive tournament final.
With pre-tournament odds of 11/4 it is clear that once again Holland go into a major tournament heavily fancied to do well. Their talent has never been in question but their temperament has, with the accusation often being that they are a team of individuals rather than a force greater than the sum of their parts.
With holders and 5/2 favourites Spain travelling without key defender Carles Puyol and possibly striker David Villa, the door is ajar for another side to play their way into contention.
If the Dutch can safely negotiate an admittedly difficult group then there is no reason why they cannot reach the latter stages (Holland 11/4 to reach the final), with van Marwijk’s greatest challenge ensuring they remain a collective unit.
Want £200 Free? Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.
While most of us have lost track of the days over the Christmas period, New Year’s Eve falls on a Saturday this year, and as such there is a bumper day of Premier League action to look forward to. We look at the three best bets that could have you cracking open the champagne a bit before midnight.
Celtic take on Motherwell in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden on Saturday afternoon looking to end the season on a high after losing out on the SPL title. Can they do it or will it be the year for the underdogs to prevail? (Celtic 4/11 to win in 90 minutes).
England may have had a disastrous World Cup, but for three Englishmen the tournament will end on a high (England 9/1 to win Euro 2012).
Germany (11/1 to win the World Cup) midfielder Michael Ballack is setting his sights high for Bayer Leverkusen, after his move back to his home country was confirmed.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he would not leave the club if the side were struggling (Manchester United 11/5 to win the 2010/2011 Premier League outright).