Valhalla, Kentucky - Europe's Ryder Cup team go into this weekend's 2008 competition as narrow favourites to beat the United States at Valhalla Golf Club and retain their title.

Winners of the competition in eight of the past 10 clashes, and unbeaten since 1999, Nick Faldo's side hold all the aces against a US team missing world No 1 Tiger Woods and containing six Ryder Cup rookies to Europe's four.

Faldo, who played a record 11 Ryder Cups and who has won the most points for Europe in Ryder Cup history, captains the side for the first time.

But with a side containing Open and US PGA champion Padraig Harrington, Players champion Sergio Garcia, Ryder Cup veterans Lee Westwood and Miguel Angel Jimenez, and young bucks Paul Casey and Justin Rose, he has one of the strongest teams in recent history.

A single-minded player who won six major titles, Faldo said he was enjoying the experience of leading the side going into the event, which starts on Friday.

"I am loving it," he said. "I love being big mother hen to this lot. It is really great. They are a special bunch. Everybody is into it. As Europe have always proved, the team spirit is instantly there."

Faldo's biggest problem could be deciding his pairings for the opening day, but said he hoped to use all his players in the foursomes and fourballs.

"If things were going very well I'd have all 12 out on day one," Faldo said.

The US, captained by former US PGA champion Paul Azinger, will hope to buck a trend that has seen them humbled in each of the past two competitions by large margins.

In the absence of Woods, who is still recovering from knee surgery, Phil Mickelson is the most experienced player on a side that includes six first-timers - Ben Curtis, Anthony Kim, Boo Weekley, Steve Stricker, JB Holmes and Hunter Mahan.

Mickelson's Ryder Cup record is less than stellar, but Azinger said he believes his side can feed off the home crowd and upset the odds.

"I feel like we have an opportunity here," he said. "The Europeans have brought an incredible team over here (but) we have everything to gain in this situation. Not a lot of people expect us to pull this off minus Tiger Woods.

"Everybody feels pressure but I hope my guys will be free-wheeling out there - that's my hope."

Traditionally, Europe lead after the opening two days of foursomes and fourballs, and Garcia, whose Ryder Cup record reads 14 wins, two halves and just four defeats, said team spirit, as ever, will be key.

"I've always said it, and I say it from the bottom of my heart, I would rather go zero and five and win the Ryder Cup as a team than go five and zero and lose it," he said.

"It's not about me this week. It's about the team and coming together, achieving our goal and obviously playing well and retaining the cup. That's all that matters to me."