At first glance, tomorrow's Group B clash between Turkey and Italy in the Dutch town of Arnhem has all the makings of a historic upset.

If national expectations, team morale and recent form were anything to go by, then Turkey are home and dry.

Turkey come into the game on the crest of a winning wave, marked by Galatasaray's recent UEFA Cup triumph and after a qualifying round when they pulled off that 1-0 defeat of Germany.

Furthermore, none other than coach Fatih Terim, the man who led Galatasaray to success this season and who coached Turkey at the Euro '96 finals in England, believes that this Turkish side will do much better than four years ago when they played three and lost three.

Underlining the Galatasaray connection too is the fact that six players from the Istanbul club - strikers Hakan Sukor and Arif, midfielders Sergen, Okan and Umit and defender Hakan Unsal - are all likely to start tomorrow.

If Turkey's preparations have taken place against a background of optimism, the same can hardly be said of Italy's polemical build-up.

Coach Dino Zoff has come under media fire after yet another poor Italian performance when beaten 10 by Norway on Saturday.

Worse still, critics are convinced that the Italian coach still has not decided how to best replace the injured Christian Vieri in attack.

Will it be Filippo Inzaghi and Francesco Totti or Alessandro Del Piero and Vincenzo Montella?

Zoff says he has no doubts about his selections but is not naming the team to avoid further pressure on the players.

He also says that when the going gets tough, Italy get going. He had better be right. Otherwise, that historic upset is on the cards.