Heitinga wary of Danes

John Heitinga says that Netherlands cannot afford to underestimate Denmark in their Euro 2012 opener on Saturday.

Bert van Marwijk’s men are strong favourites to get off to a winning start against the Danes.

And, although Heitinga is confident that his side will collect the three points, he insists that they must be careful not to fall victim to complacency.

“Denmark could surprise us,” the 28-year-old told NUSport.

“Although their expectations are a lot lower in this difficult group.

“Nobody really expects them to proceed. We owe it to our fans to beat Denmark.”

The Everton centre-back expects Nicklas Bendtner to start up front for the Euro 1992 winners and is confident that he can handle the 24-year-old, whom he has come up against before in the Premier League.

“They are likely to play with Bendtner in the first-team,” he added. “I’ve played against him many times and it has always gone well.

“I have won all the battles and have never conceded against him. The statistics look good, but this is a totally different game.”