AMSTERDAM • Having missed out on the last two major football tournaments, the Netherlands will be looking to make up for lost ground at Euro 2020 even though they look like a side who still have an air of inconsistency about them.

Failing to qualify for Euro 2016 in France and the World Cup in Russia two years later was a blow for a country that takes pride in its footballing pedigree and whose team were considered one of the best in the world when they finished runners-up at the 2010 World Cup and third in Brazil four years later.

Part of the Oranje's struggles had to do with their inability to find replacements for the likes of match winners like Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie following their international retirements.

Three coaches from 2015 to 2017 attest to the turmoil but under Ronald Koeman, the team found some stability, bouncing back by finishing second in the inaugural Nations League in 2019 and losing only one game in the Euro 2020 qualifiers.

But despite beating England, France and Germany in the last three years, performances have been up and down, particularly after Koeman left for Barcelona last August, with Frank de Boer coming in.

In March, the Dutch lost 4-2 in Turkey in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and their preparations for the postponed Euro have not been as smooth as they would have liked after a 2-2 friendly draw with Scotland last Wednesday.

De Boer was not the most popular appointment after managerial flops in Italy and England and he has faced criticism in the lead-up to this weekend's Group C opener against Ukraine after a series of gaffes during a press conference.

But despite lingering concerns, the Dutch do have the right mix of youth and experience, and are fancied to qualify from one of the weakest groups in the tournament and advance to the knockout phase.

The top seeds in Group C also have home advantage in their matches against Ukraine, Austria (June 17) and North Macedonia (June 21).

The hosts will miss the reassuring defensive presence of captain Virgil van Dijk, who has not recovered in time from his cruciate ligament injury, but they have one of the strongest midfields around.

Frenkie de Jong embodies the new Dutch generation, with the 24-year-old coming off an outstanding season with Barcelona, adding late runs into the box and goals to his game.

KEY MAN: MEMPHIS DEPAY

He will slot in alongside stand-in captain Georginio Wijnaldum, while either Davy Klaassen or 19-year-old Ryan Gravenberch, who has been hailed as "the new Pogba", will partner them as per de Boer's favoured 5-3-2 formation.

The pair have had a strong season for club and country after helping Ajax to the league and Cup double this season.

Up front, Memphis Depay, who has 23 goals in 62 internationals, leads an attack that sometimes has Luuk de Jong or Wout Weghorst in a classic target man role, or wide men like Donyell Malen, Steven Berghuis and Quincy Promes.

KEY MAN: MARKO ARNAUTOVIC

With van Dijk out, their defence is a weak point and the sight of Matthijs de Ligt limping out of training on Saturday due to a groin complaint has sparked concern.

Left-back Daley Blind also has not played since March due to injury and No. 1 goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen was forced to drop out of the squad after a positive Covid-19 test.

However, de Boer remains confident the 16th-ranked Dutch can live up to their reputation as overachievers and emulate the Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten-inspired team who won Euro 1988, the country's sole major honour.

KEY MAN: ANDRIY YARMOLENKO

"We are not far off the favourites, we are in form and have the ability to beat any team," he said. "But it is a long route to the title - seven matches and a lot of good fortune.

"There is pressure on us but we are not running away from it. We think we can use it to energise our performances."

It is anyone's guess as to which team will be best placed to snatch the other qualifying spot in Group C.

KEY MAN: ELJIF ELMAS

None of the other three sides has reached the knockout phase before, although Ukraine were unbeaten in Euro qualifying and topped their group ahead of champions Portugal and Serbia, conceding only four goals.

Andriy Shevchenko's men are a work in progress - a 7-1 defeat by France in a friendly last October was followed by a 1-0 home win over Spain in the Nations League a week later.

However, they cannot fare much worse than the last edition, when Ukraine crashed out without a point and no goals at Euro 2016.

Austria similarly flopped in the same stage at the last edition, but with a team largely drawn from German Bundesliga clubs like Leipzig's Marcel Sabitzer, notching their first Euro win is a realistic goal.

Their previous two appearances at the Finals, as co-hosts in 2008 and in France in 2016, produced two drab draws and four defeats.

North Macedonia will be making their maiden major tournament bow and while critics have pegged them as probable wooden spoonists, they upset Germany away in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in March and have good players in their ranks like Leeds' Ezgjan Alioski.

Goran Pandev, a stalwart of Serie A football for two decades, is his country's all-time top scorer and most capped player with 37 goals in 119 games. He should lead the line in what is set to be the 37-year-old captain's last and only international competition.

REUTERS

KEY MATCH

NETHERLANDS V UKRAINE

June 14, 3am SGT (Amsterdam Arena)