Team Europe expressed confidence they can retain their Mosconi Cup crown in a fiery press conference at Alexandra Palace.
The Europeans are the heavy favourites going into this year’s competition, having won the last five iterations of the annual nine-ball tournament dubbed ‘the Ryder Cup of pool.’
They also have a significantly stronger lineup than Team America, with three players ranked in the world top 10 compared to the US’s one.
European captain and British representative Jayson Shaw said: “These guys are champions.
“They’ve done it in front of big crowds, they know how to win.
“I truly believe we will do what we do, bring the cup back and keep it in London where it belongs.”
The European five – Shaw, Joshua Filer, Moritz Neuhausen, Pijus Labutis, David Alcaide, – are positioned fifth, eighth, ninth, 12th and 16th respectively, with America’s next best after world No 1 Feder Grost being 14th-ranked Shane Van Boening.
Neuhausen, who is making his first appearance in the event, was similarly buoyant about Team Europe’s chances.
He said: “The Mosconi’s different [to singles events] so we’ll see how we do, but with this team at our back I can confidently say we’re ready.
“We have the best guys here, so there’s no need to worry.”
In the early years of the Mosconi Cup, Team America were very much the dominant force after winning 10 out of the first 11 editions.
But since then, the Europeans have blown their transatlantic counterparts away, sealing victory in all but three tournaments since 2007.
History, therefore, certainly appears to be on the side of Shaw’s men.
But despite being heavy underdogs, Gorst – along with counterpart Tyler Styer – believes that Team America’s consistent lineup can help them secure an unlikely triumph.
Unlike Team Europe, who feature three new players in this year’s competition, the US have kept the same side which lost 2024’s showdown in Orlando.
Grost said: “We have the same team last year, and that actually helps us.
“Because we know each other we don’t have to spend time figuring out the doubles.”
Styer added: “Europe have a super strong team, they had five world champions at one stage, but it’s definitely big for us to have the same team coming back.”
The Mosconi Cup kicks off 6.30pm tonight at Alexandra Palace, and will conclude on Saturday 6 December.
All the action can be watched live on Sky Sports in the UK.
Opening night matches include Shaw vs Skyler Woodward in singles, and Neuhausen/Labutis vs Styer/Billy Thorpe, and Filer/Alcaide vs Gorst/Van Boening in the two doubles matches.
Feature image: James Bools
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