Hup Holland Hup! It's time for an Oraanje bloom as Sportsmail's adopted team take on the world champions

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Day three in the European Championships and it’s time for the Group of Death to get under way including Sportsmail online’s adopted team the Oranje boys from Holland.

The pressure is really on for Dutch supremo Marco van Basten.

This tournament has already seen Germany’s Joachim Loew continue to set the sartorial standard for the new breed of tight-shirt-wearing-managers-at-international-level and to come up against the stylish Roberto Donadoni first up is a terrible draw.

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The future's bright: Dutch fans are optimistic ahead of the Italy clash

Plenty of bass: Dutch fans shout slogans as they arrive in Berne for tonight's match against group favourites Italy

Van Basten will know he has to step up to the plate to match him. He mustn’t get too distracted if he accidentally irons in a crease. We’ve all done it but the Dutch master just cannot let that take his focus away from the football.

Even with my orange-tinted spectacles on the Italians look like a difficult prospect, albeit one that has overdosed on beta-carotene, but there are some reasons for Oranje fans to be optimistic.

The Azzurri, just to remind people, are the current world champions and although opinion is mixed on Donadoni, they remain a capable unit and typically solid at the back. But the loss of captain Fabio Cannavaro is a huge boost for the Dutch.

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Van the man in charge: Holland coach Marco van Basten

And while Luca Toni is a hefty threat the Italians can lack creativity going forward – a good sign as I fear the Dutch defence, when pressurised, could be as effective as the Maginot Line.

For their part the Dutch have been robbed of Arjen Robben, are already without Ryan Babel and Arsenal’s Robin van Persie is unlikely to feature but luckily players with invention are never in short supply.

Ibrahim Afellay is one man to keep an eye on, Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart are class acts while Ruud van Nistelrooy remains a goalscorer extraordinaire.

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Dutch of class in a glass: Fans get stuck into the beers before the big game

Future's bright: Dutch fans gather to watch the Holland versus Italy in Berne

The Dutch haven’t beaten the Italians since 1978 which is practically a lifetime, my lifetime at least, and in fact have only ever beaten them twice in their 15 previous contests.

But you know what they say about history – it’s all in the past.

It’s time for an Oraanje bloom!