Luke Donald should gain a good indication of who could force their way into his Ryder Cup team for September's showdown with the Americans when ten-man teams from Great Britain & Ireland and Continental Europe do battle at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
Battles will take place over three days over fourball, foursome and singles formats and there will be plenty of stars eager to play well enough to catch the skipper's eye.
Continental Europe - 7/4
Continental Europe claimed the first Team Cup two years ago, and there looks a decent chance they will keep their hands on the trophy, which is effectively a warm-up to help Europe captain Luke Donald decide who could be a huge asset for September's Ryder Cup battle with the Americans.
Donald will get the chance to see how many hopefuls adapt to foursomes and fourballs play, while also the unique nature of singles match play and it is arguable that the Great Britain & Ireland team that will be captained by Justin Rose is weaker than the one that was defeated 14.5-10.5 in 2023.
Shane Lowry will not be in action this week as he is in America playing in the inaugural match of the Tomorrow Golf League, while Robert MacIntyre is gunning for glory at the second tournament of the PGA Tour year, the Sony Open in Hawaii.
There will be a lot of pressure on Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton to get points for GB&I and while Aaron Rai has risen to 22nd in the world rankings after some decent Stateside performances, it looks like a 10-man team who lack depth.
Francesco Molinari's Continental Europe line-up appears more rounded with a five-strong Danish delegation, highly charged to impress, led by the Hojgaard twins Nicolai and Rasmus.
Consequently, at the prices, it seems the European outfit may offer some good value.
Tyrrell Hatton top Great Britain & Ireland pointscorer - 17/4
Hatton, who, along with Fleetwood, is the only course winner at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club on parade this week, should be highly motivated to perform well.
His inclusion in Rose's team was controversial due to the fact that he now plies his trade on the LIV Golf tour, which indicates that rebels could be included in Donald's Bethpage lineup.
In that case, Hatton would probably be a shoo-in alongside Jon Rahm, but the Ipswich swinger will not want to take the chance.
He looks set to partner Fleetwood as the two players most likely to get the nod for the big one in the GB&I team and that extra encouragement to have a big impact tips the balance in his favour in the market to be the top performer for Rose's side.
Rasmus Hojgaard top Continental Europe pointscorer - 5/1
There will also be plenty of motivation for Rasmus Hojgaard to have a big week, but for different reasons.
He had to watch from the sidelines two years ago when his twin Nicolai played his part in Europe's 16.5-11.5 success over the USA at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club two years ago and he will be desperate to be at the heart of the Bethpage action.
It would be a surprise if skipper Molinari was not encouraged to pair the brothers together over the first two days, as there is potential for them to form a dynamic partnership.
He heads into competition in decent nick, having finished runner-up to Rory McIlroy at the DP World Tour Championship, and this looks like a great chance for him to demonstrate his potential worth.
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Continental Europe - 7/4
Tie - 12/1
Great Britain & Ireland - 4/7
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.