High-flying Dutch primed to deliver

Anything but a victory over Denmark would be a minor disaster for the Netherlands tomorrow.

The pressure is on. As runners-up in the 2010 World Cup, they can’t claim success this time around unless they return to Amsterdam with the European Championship trophy.

Failing to beat the Danes in their first game, with Germany and Portugal left to play in what has been called the tournament’s group of death, would complicate things.

But it’s not only the weight of a nation’s hopes on their shoulders. Time is also against them.

“We realise this is perhaps our last chance to win a tournament,” said Dirk Kuyt.

If football followed logic, Denmark would stand little chance today. The Danes simply cannot match the individual brilliance of superstars like Robben, Van Persie or Wesley Sneijder but they aim to compete.

“We are playing against a better team,” said Danish coach Martin Olsen.

“That’s the realistic situation but it doesn’t mean we will throw the towel in. Of course we would like to be the favourites because that means you are the better team.”

The two teams have a similar style based on possession, speed on the flanks and marksmanship from their centre forwards. It’s just the Netherlands typically do it better.

Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk’s toughest choice is whether to use Van Persie or Klaas-Jan Huntelaar as centre forward. One was the top scorer in the Premier League last season and the other topped the scoring charts in the German Bundesliga and in Euro 2012 qualifying.

One player who is not in contention is defender Joris Mathijsen who is struggling with a hamstring injury.

But his major concern is Denmark. Everyone expects the Netherlands to win which has made Van Marwijk wary.

“We have that experience now, but that just means you can’t be complacent because you’ve done it before. We need to make sure we are as sharp as possible.”