They may be disappointed by their team’s lacklustre performance, but Italians have been so impressed by the skill of their Dutch neighbours that 40 percent are rooting for The Netherlands to win, La Stampa reported.

Their next favourite squad is Argentina, which has captured 10 percent of Italian supporters, followed by Chile and Germany, with nine percent.

The number might be miniscule, but two percent of Italians are backing Uruguay despite striker Luis Suarez biting opponent Giorgio Chiellini during Italy's last World Cup game on Tuesday night.

FIFA on Thursday suspended Suarez for nine games and banned him from football for four months over the incident.

Unlike their southern European counterparts, The Netherlands has shone in the tournament so far, winning all of their three group stage matches with a combined ten goals. The team now faces Mexico in the quarter-finals on Sunday.