Seve Trophy (Sky Sports 1, 10.30am): Seve Ballesteros has targeted a full playing schedule on the 2006 European Tour after chronic back injury last year briefly confined him to a wheelchair while undergoing treatment.

The five-times major champion, who has not played tournament golf for two years, plans to make his competitive comeback at next month's Madrid Open at Club de Campo, where he believes he can win.

"Only winning will satisfy me. You don't think it is possible? It is very possible," the 48-year-old Ballesteros said yesterday prior to today's start of the biennial Seve Trophy team competition.

"I'm feeling very good physically and I've been practising.

"The game is progressing better and better every day and I feel great. I'm on track for Madrid. I know where I am and I know which way I'm going."

The Spaniard's last victory, the Spanish Open, came at the same Club de Campo 10 years ago. But he has not played a serious tournament since he captained Continental Europe at the last Seve Trophy in November 2003.

After an encouraging pro-am round Ballesteros said he was prepared to return to the European team should anyone pull out through injury.

Respective captains Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal have agreed on a change to this week's competition at The Wynyard, near Middlesbrough - to try to avoid grudge matches.

In the three previous matches Montgomerie and Ballesteros sat down at the same table before the final day and alternately chose who played whom in the singles.

This time, however, the Ryder Cup format has been adopted with both captains handing in their list of all 10 players without knowing the opposition's order.

The one exception is at the top, where Montgomerie will be tackling Olazabal in a repeat of the 1984 British amateur final the Spaniard won 4 and 2.

Montgomerie said of the previous system: "Sometimes I thought it might encourage a grudge match and I didn't want that."

Even though the contest brings together mostly Ryder Cup team-mates - eight of last year's side in Detroit are involved - the 2003 match in Valencia ended in highly controversial fashion.

A tense atmosphere developed following an altercation between Padraig Harrington and Olazabal during their singles clash after Harrington objected to the Spanish star repairing marks on the green before the referee had inspected them.

The game ended all square and the pair then had a lengthy exchange, followed by a meeting a month late before the situation was clarified and resolved.

Of course any grudge matches could still happen, but it will be because of the luck of the draw.

The match starts today with the first of two series of fourballs and Montgomerie has resurrected two of Europe's successful partnerships from Detroit.

David Howell and Paul Casey, who won a vital fourball point, take on Swedes Niclas Fasth and Peter Hanson, while Harrington and Paul McGinley face French pair Thomas Levet and Jean-Francois Remesy.

The two Dubliners were also partners at Druids Glen in 2002 and won four points out of five. Their only defeat was to Olazabal and Ballesteros.

Britain and Ireland start favourites despite the absence of Luke Donald, Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood, who all turned down the match.

Olazabal must plan without leading lights like Sergio Garcia and Bernhard Langer.

Today's Fourballs

10.35 Ian Poulter and Nick Dougherty v Thomas Bjorn and Henrik Stenson

10.50 Colin Montgomerie and Graeme McDowell v Maarten Lafeber and Emanuele Canonica

11.05 Stephen Dodd and Bradley Dredge v Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jose Maria Olazabal

11.20 David Howell and Paul Casey v Niclas Fasth and Peter Hanson

11.35 Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington v Jean-Francois Remesy and Thomas Levet