They may have started Euro 2000 like nervous kittens but on Sunday night co-hosts Holland roared like lions.

Italy's coach Dino Zoff was able to watch Holland take on Yugoslavia in the quarter-final in Rotterdam, safe in the knowledge that his side was already in the last four.

But any feeling of comfort evaporated as a talented Yugoslavian side was hit for six by Frank Rijkaard's improving team.

The performance that night was a million miles away from the opening match when a debatable late penalty handed them victory against the luckless Czech Republic.

No such charity was needed on Sunday, although they were helped by an own goal that denied Patrick Kluivert a four-goal haul.

He is now the joint leading scorer alongside Savo Milosevic with five goals but on Thursday evening the most dangerous striker in Euro 2000 is up against the tournament's meanest defence.

Italy have let in just two goals in four games and in the two matches they played in Brussels they produced performances that the great Italian sides of yesteryear would have been proud of. Each time they recorded clean sheets that rarely looked like being dirtied by first Belgium and then Romania.

Central to that record has been the form of skipper Paolo Maldini although he has been a fitness doubt having suffered with a thigh problem in the last couple of games.

He missed the second half of the quarter-final against Romania but he will be ready to take on the Dutch as his recovery has been called "remarkable" by the Italian camp.

Maldini and co showed they are capable of beating a host country on its own patch when they beat Belgium 2-0 in the group stages but they will be under no illusions that facing Holland in Amsterdam will be a far greater test.

It is not just the quality of Stam and Davids, Bergkamp and Kluivert, Overmars and Cocu that they must deal with.

There is also the sea of orange fans ready to pour into the Amsterdam ArenA, convinced that reaching the final is their destiny.

Rijkaard might be forced to make one change to the side that demolished Yugoslavia, replacing one Glasgow Rangers star Arthur Numan with another, Giovanni van Bronkhorst.

Numan has had X-rays on his foot amid fears that he has broken a bone and his club mate is ready to return to the side having started the first three matches.

But it is in attack that the Dutch have suddenly started to look devastating with Kluivert, backed by many at 7-1 to be leading scorer, now long odds-on.

After their first two and a half hours play in Euro 2000 they had only Frank de Boer's penalty to show for their

efforts. In the last three and a half hours they have scored 12 times.

The Italians will undoubtedly prove a tougher nut to crack than Denmark, France B and Yugoslavia. Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta and Mark Iuliano form a solid back three, supported by wing-backs Maldini and Gianluca Zambrotta.

They have yet to be behind in the competition while still finding the net twice in every game to date.

But two years ago their interest in the World Cup was ended when they failed to beat the host country, albeit only losing to France on penalties.

If the Dutch can maintain the momentum that has gathered in the course of the past couple of weeks, Italy will have to watch the home team celebrate victory again.