Our wee pal Rino Gattuso will be getting right in amongst them in midfield as he seeks to add a European Championship medal to the World Cup medal he picked up in Germany two years ago and, having enjoyed a wee bit of luck in qualifying - at Scotland's expense too! - there is a feeling the Italians have their name on the trophy. Looking through all the squads, although they have lost Cannovaro, they look to have more strength in depth than the rest but getting out of this group will be no easy task. I'm expecting both of Monday's games to finish level so it could go right down to the wire, with all four teams in the hunt when they play the final round of games a week on Tuesday.
When Gio Van Bronckhurst rejoined Feyenoord from Barcelona last summer, I thought he had quit the international game but, where previous national team bosses had used him at left-back, Marco Van Basten appears to see Gio in a more positive midfield role so the man on show over these next few weeks could be much more like the player we knew and loved during his time at Ibrox. The Dutch have always been good to watch so I'm looking forward to some very entertaining stuff from them and I'll be very disappointed if they're not still in contention at the semi-final stage.
Mind you, I had to laugh when I read about him with the funny name being Van Basten's new 'secret weapon'. With the likes of Huntelaar, Robben, Van Nistelrooy and Van Persie competing for the attacking positions, Salt'n'vinegar can expect to be spending much of the next three weeks carrying the bags. Then again, if Holland find themselves in trouble, they might think of throwing him on to assault a couple of opponents, although I don't think European refs are likely to turn the same blind eye which Kenny Clark and Craig Thomson did on Rangers' visits to the Piggery in April.
Maybe its the fact that they lost both at home and away to Scotland, but I'm reluctant to rate the French. Sure, they've got quality throughout the squad but I'm beginning to think they've had their day and it might take another four years or so, when the likes of Ribery and Benzema are in their pomp, before they are a world power again. Losing the World Cup Final to Italy might act as a spur but my inclination is that, in Gallas, Thuram, Vieira and Makalele, they lean too heavily on yesterday's men.
Romania's achilles heel could be their reliance on Adrian Mutu. We all know the guy can play, although the Gers kept him reasonably quiet in our UEFA Cup semi-final against Fiorentina, but he certainly won't scare the Italian defenders who play against him every week and, if he is snuffed out, with their strengths being at the back and in midfield, I'm not sure who could could emerge as the main man. They'll probably struggle to progress, but Romania will have a big influence on the final placings, with an opening game draw with France possibly knocking Les Bleus out of the tournament.
But how would Scotland have got on if it was our lot, and not the Italians or the French, who had qualified? Methinks we would have struggled but I'm losing no sleep over our absence. After all the rigours of the season just passed, would we really want to see half-a-dozen of our guys, maybe more, fighting through the pain barrier for another three games? I think not.
CRYSTAL BALL GAZING
Romania 2 France 2
Italy 1 Holland 1
Italy 1 Romania 0
Holland 1 France 1
Italy 1 France 1
Holland 2 Romania 1
Pld. W D L F A Pts.
HOLLAND 3 1 2 0 4 3 5
ITALY 3 1 2 0 3 2 5
FRANCE 3 0 3 0 4 4 3
ROMANIA 3 0 2 1 3 5 2
LITTLE BOY BLUE