The Dutch squad arrived for Euro 2008 in Geneva on Tuesday albeit rather later than planned after heavy traffic round Amsterdam delayed their departure.

Five of the 23 man squad - part of an overall delegation of 46 - were held up and forced the team to delay their plane.

The Dutch will feel more than a little at home once they arrive at their base of Lausanne, as they often have training camps there and were based there before the 2006 World Cup finals.

The Dutch - who are bidding to add to the 1988 European crown when the team included their present coach Marco van Basten - will undergo a training session on Wednesday morning followed by a short press conference.

The Dutch are in the ‘Group of Death’ - Group C - and open their campaign against world champions Italy in Berne on June 9, followed by World Cup finalists France on June 13 in Berne and round off their group matches against dark horses Romania also in Berne on June 17.

The Netherlands arrived at its European Championship training base on Tuesday with its morale on the upswing, in sharp contrast to the fortunes of rivals Italy and France.

Having scored six goals in two victories and a draw in three preparation games, the Dutch know they have the creativity and firepower up front to beat the best. And they hope its beleaguered defence will hold up in the toughest Euro 2008 first-round group.

“Up to now I am pleased. We are on schedule and that is good,” said coach Marco van Basten after Sunday’s 2-0 win over Wales.

Players spent Monday with family and friends before reconvening to fly to Switzerland.

And if injuries to their captains have hit Italy and France hard, Van Basten is welcoming one of his biggest stars back in the training squad.

Arsenal winger Robin van Persie had been forced to prepare on his own for most of the past two weeks because of a thigh strain, but will be rejoining the full squad on Wednesday at Lausanne’s Olympic Stadium.

It will give Van Basten the option to play Van Persie and Real Madrid’s Arjen Robben on each wing, and their lightning pace and unexpected moves should put plenty of pressure on any defence.

“I am convinced we are ready for the championships,” Robben said.

Over the past weeks, the Dutch have quickly put the refusal of AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf to play for Van Basten behind them. And the only injury mishap, when Ryan Babel tore ligaments in his ankle last weekend, was one they could take in stride since the Dutch have an abundance of creative players and the Liverpool forward had not been expected to start.

It even gave Van Basten the added advantage of being able to draw in an extra defender, Khalid Boulahrouz, to beef up a thin defensive line.

Italy has had no such luck. One week before the opening clash against the Netherlands in Group C, inspirational captain Fabio Cannavaro tore ankle ligaments during a collision with defender Giorgio Chiellini in the team’s first practice session at the tournament.

Meanwhile, France had to announce that captain Patrick Vieira will be out at least for the opening game against Romania because of a thigh strain.

The Dutch stay at Beau Rivage Palace, one of Europe’s finest hotels, hugging Lake Geneva with spectacular views of the French Alps across the water. Oranje usually stays in Lausanne to prepare major tournaments. For Van Basten, though, it will be the last time. He leaves to coach Ajax after Euro 2008.