In Sunday's draw in Lucerne, the Oranje were pooled in Group C with a Romania team that outperformed them in qualifying as well as both World Cup finalists, Italy and France.

The 37-year-old Manchester United custodian admitted that once again the Dutch had drawn the short straw, although they progressed into the knockout stage in last year's World Cup from a very tough group featuring Argentina, Serbia & Montenegro and the Ivory Coast.

Speaking from Manchester, Van der Sar said: "We are playing against three opponents that are world class, that's a fact.

"During the World Cup of 2006 our group was called the 'group of death' but I think that this group now is just a little bit harder."

But Van der Sar, who has said he will quit the national side after the tournament, added: "I do think though that we can come through it, with a little bit of help from our fans and the quality of the squad of players.

"It's clear what our task is. For a player these games are fantastic. The same goes for the Oranje fans."