Despite a blistering warm-up campaign, Jon Jerrome is wary of Denmark in the Netherlands' opening fixture.
Holland are hot up front, but still lacking at the back
Three games, three victories and goals aplenty. As World Cup preparations go, the Dutch looked to have enjoyed the ideal build-up which demonstrated the side's attacking prowess and reaffirmed their growing status as the one's to watch when the action finally gets underway.
With the winning momentum showing little sign of easing up, a feel-good factor was sure to be present as a fully-fit squad looked set to depart for South Africa in the highest of sprits. That was all until a late sting in the tail arrived following an injury to the key man Arjen Robben whose participation in the tournament looked in major doubt after the Bayern man limped off in the friendly win over Hungary.
Faced with the prospect of losing a key component in his attacking armoury, coach Bert van Marwijk suffered an agonising wait to see whether the player tipped by many as being the potential stand-out star in the coming month would be ruled out. However, fear turned to relief with the news the winger should feature in the near future, with Hamburg starlet Eljero Elia touted as a possible temporary replacement following his stunning solo strike against the Hungarians.
Having found the net on 12 occasions across the warm-up period, confidence will remain high in the squad as the kick-off to the campaign rapidly approaches. And after bagging himself four goals, Robin van Persie will make the journey in his richest vein of international form, as reflected by his ever shortening odds for the competitions Golden Boot.
However, the failure to obtain a clean sheet in any of the three encounters will reinforce the belief that defensive weaknesses could prove to be the side's Achilles heel.
Smooth passage
Attention now turns to Johannesburg's Soccer City where Denmark provide the opposition for the opening clash in Group E.
With three vital World Cup points at stake, the all European clash looks set to go a long way in shaping the qualification outcome, with both sides vying for a smooth passage to the knock-out stages. The fact that the last six world champions have started the tournament with a win also highlights the importance for the Oranje men to lay down a marker in the stadium which could see Giovanni van Bronckhorst lift the trophy come July 11th.
Should further inspiration be needed, the Netherlands only have to rewind the clock back two years to the start of the European Championships. Having been seen by many as the likely victims in a group of death featuring Italy and France, Marco van Basten's side shocked football with two outstanding early performances which saw both opposition swept aside with devastating effect.
But those anticipating a similar outcome come Monday are likely to be disappointed with the Danes credentials demonstrated by their own recent scalps.
Faced with a daunting World Cup qualification group, Morten Olsen's side successfully saw off the challenge of Portugal and Sweden to take their place in Africa and boast a talented hard-working squad. And with Arsenal striker Nicholas Bendtner leading the line, the side features a player whose ability to go from the sublime to the ridiculous makes him a dangerous opponent.
So will it be Danish delight or Dutch delirium come the final whistle? Despite never meeting in the finals of the competition, history points to the latter with Holland unbeaten against the Scandinavian nation since 1967. However, with both sides eager to build upon solid qualification campaigns and avoid the first dreaded defeat, expect a tight cagey affair which could be decided by a single goal.
Let battle commence.
