The Oranje of Holland will be bidding to reach their first final in 32 years in South Africa and shake off their image of group-stage giants, knock-out-phase chokers at the World Cup.
The last time Holland reached a World Cup final was in 1978 when Argentina captured their first world title with a 3-1 win as the Netherlands suffered final heartache for the second-tournament running.
Holland tend to come to major championships with form players and flowing football: setting a breath-taking pace in the group stages, only to freeze in the knock-out stages.
In their eight World Cup appearances, the Oranje have reached the showpiece match twice, falling narrowly short in both 1974 and 1978.
Their best effort was fourth at France 1998.
Often seen as spectacular, but mentally fragile, the Dutch made a last-16 exit at the hands of Portugal in a bruising match four years ago in Germany.
They also had a disappointing Euro 2008 after blasting both 2006 World Cup finalists France and Italy off the park in the group stages, only to lose to Russia in the quarterfinals.
The current squad have made no secret of their ambition to reach the final and they were impressive in qualifying with eight wins from eight games.
Van Marwijk has kept the 4-2-3-1 formation favoured by Van Basten and was rewarded with a flawless qualification campaign with a two-year contract extension. — AFP