EurAsia Cup Preview

Lowdown: Europe faces Asia this week in the inaugural EurAsia Cup at Glenmarie G&CC in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Miguel Angel Jiménez and Thongchai Jaidee will captain the sides.

The event kicks off this Thursday with five fourball matches, there will then be five foursomes contests on Friday and 10 singles on Saturday. Jiménez and Jaidee will be playing captains, and the Spaniard is looking forward to the competition.

"It's going to be a week of exciting competition with two great teams going head to head," said Jiménez. "My team is in good shape and I know Thongchai is happy with his too."

On paper, the European side looks the stronger with all 10 members currently sitting in the top-75 on the Official World Golf Ranking. But, team Asia will have the home advantage and will be looking to pull off an upset against their more famous opponents.

The teams -

Europe

Miguel Angel Jiménez - Playing captain and 20-time European Tour champion. The 50-year-old Spaniard has competed in four Ryder Cups.

Graeme McDowell - The 34-year-old Northern Irishman has nine European Tour titles to his name, including the 2010 U.S. Open. He secured the winning point for Europe in the 2010 Ryder Cup.

Jamie Donaldson - The Welshman is on superb form and he currently leads the Race to Dubai after his tied second place finish in the WGC - Cadillac Championship.

Victor Dubuisson - Something of a sensation in world golf over the last year, Dubuisson won last year's Turkish Airlines Open then finished third in the DP World Tour Championship. Earlier this season he was runner-up in the WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship.

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano - The stylish Spaniard is a seven-time European Tour winner, most recently the BMW Masters of 2013. He's played three times in the Seve Trophy, including last season when the continental European side was victorious.

Thomas Bjorn - The experienced Dane has won 15 times on the European Tour and has six more pro wins to his name. He's the Chairman of the European Tour's Tournament Committee and he's twice played in the Ryder Cup. He's also been Ryder Cup vice captain on three occasions.

Stephen Gallacher - The Scot successfully defended his Dubai Desert Classic title earlier this year. He was tied sixth at the recent WGC - Cadillac Championship.

Joost Luiten - The Dutchman is one of the European Tour's most talented players and has picked up three victories on the circuit since 2011. He was a member of the victorious continental European side in last year's Seve Trophy.

Pablo Larrazabal - He burst onto the scene with a memorable victory in the 2008 Open de France. The Spaniard has won twice more since then - the BMW International Open of 2011 and this year's Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, where he pushed Rory McIlroy into second place.

Thorbjorn Olesen - The young Dane is emerging as one of Europe's most promising players. He won the Sicilian Open of 2012, aged just 22 and has already posted top-10 finishes in the Open (2012) and the U.S. Masters (2013.)

Asia

Thongchai Jaidee - 13 times a champion on the Asian Tour and winner of the 2012 ISPS Handa Wales Open, Jaidee is one of Asia's greatest golfers. He was tied sixth in the recent WGC - Cadillac Championship.

Kiradech Aphibarnrat - Still only 24, Aphibarnrat has been a professional since 2008. The young Thai golfer took victory in the Maybank Malaysian Open of 2013. He has twice represented Asia in the Royal Trophy - 2012 and 2013.

Anirban Lahiri - The Indian has won three times on the Asian Tour and has recorded 10 further victories since he turned pro in 2007. Lahiri tied for 31st in the 2012 Open Championship where he scored a hole-in-one in the third round.

Siddikur Rahman - Siddikur is the first Bangladeshi to play, and to win, on the Asian Tour. He took the title in the Brunei Open of 2010 and the Hero Indian Open of 2013.

Gaganjeet Bhullar - He has five Asian Tour titles to his name and he represented India in the World Cup of 2013. He also played for Asia in the 2010 Royal Trophy.

Kim Hyung-sung = The 33-year-old Korean recorded 13 top-10 finishes on the 2014 Japan Golf Tour and ended the season second on the money list. He made his debut in the Open Championship at Muirfield.

Koumei Oda - He's a powerful hitter and has been a professional since 2000. He has six wins on the Japan Golf Tour and finished 2013 in third place on the circuit's money list.

Hideto Tanihara - Another experienced player, the Japanese golfer has recorded 10 victories on the Japan Golf Tour. He played on the PGA Tour in 2005 after earning his card through Q School.

Nicholas Fung - The Malaysian is an up-and-coming star. Still only 23, he won the Asian Development Tour in 2013 - he climbed over 1,000 places on the Official World Golf Ranking through the season.

Prayad Marksaeng - He's one of the most experienced players in this event. The Thai golfer has 13 victories as a professional. The 48-year-old has represented Thailand five times in the World Cup.

Details:

Venue: Glenmarie G&CC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Date: Mar 27-29 Course stats: par 72, 7,004 yards Purse: $4,000,000 Defending Champion: Inaugural Event

TV Coverage:

Thursday 27 - Sky Sports 4 from 2am Friday 28 - Sky Sports 4 from 2am Saturday 29 - Sky Sports 4 from midnight

Where next? PGA Tour - Valero Texas Open preview