The Netherlands, one of the best teams never to have won the World Cup, will go into this year's tournament in South Africa with renewed optimism, especially after a perfect record in qualification and a relatively easy first round group.
If Arjen Robben returns from injury and joins Robin van Persie, Dirk Kuyt and Klaas Jan Huntelaar in front of playmaker Wesley Sneijder, the two-time runners-up have the potential to unlock any defense in the world and shrug off their reputation as being World Cup underachievers.
They are capable of comfortably beating Denmark, Japan and Cameroon in Group E to guarantee one of the top two places and a spot in the second round, and give their huge and noisy supporters plenty to hope for in the competition.
The 1974 and '78 runners-up and 1998 semifinalists, now coached by Bert van Marwijk, first play Denmark at Soccer City in Johannesburg on June 14. Then come games against Japan in Durban five days later and Cameroon in Cape Town on June 24.
Although the Danes also won their qualifying group, they don't have the same depth of talent and failed to qualify for both the last World Cup and the 2008 European Championship. But many of their players will be well known to those on the Dutch squad.
After spells in England, Italy and Spain, team captain John Dahl Tomasson now plays for Dutch club Feyenoord, Dennis Rommedahl is with Ajax, Nicklas Bendtner is a teammate of Van Persie at Arsenal and defender Daniel Agger could be marking Liverpool colleague Kuyt.
Whatever the result at Soccer City, the Danes will be hoping to make it a European 1-2 in the group by beating Cameroon and then Japan.
Although Samuel Eto'o is scoring vital goals in Italy for Inter Milan, he is carrying a lot of Cameroon hopes on his shoulders despite the impressive club form of Arsenal midfielder Alex Song and Lyon midfielder Jean II Makoun.
Respected coach Paul Le Guen revived the team after its poor start in qualifying. At the World Cup, however, Cameroon has failed to match its amazing 1990 performance, when it upset defending champion Argentina in the opening match and was eventually knocked out in the quarterfinals by England in extra time.
Since then, the team has failed to advance past the first round in three attempts.
Japan is at the World Cup for the fourth time in a row, reaching the second round on home soil in 2002. But the team has never won a World Cup game on foreign turf, losing all three group matches in France in 1998 and collecting only one point in 2006.
Japan coach Takeshi Okada is out to change that and is looking to veteran midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura to inspire his forwards or score with his trademark free kicks.
