Teak-tough Scot Jayson Shaw expected to star for Team Europe

Day one
Sky Sports Action & Mix, 6.30pm Tuesday

It's Mosconi Cup time and that means the Americans' latest effort to get the monkey off their back in the annual nine-ball event.

A talented USA side were hammered 11-4 by Europe last year and while the Americans have kept faith in three of the five players who were soundly defeated in Las Vegas, there are wholesale changes in Team Europe with only Jayson Shaw holding on to his place.

There are parallels to be drawn between pool and golf with a supremely talented USA team coming a huge cropper in the Ryder Cup in France in September.

But if there is hope for Team USA at Alexandra Palace, it could be that many of visiting players travel to London in good form. There's also the boost of having the calming influence of US pool legend Jeremy Jones as vice-captain.

USA debutant Tyler Styer has a sound temperament, which could help his side, while European captain Marcus Chamat has called up first-timers Eklent Kaci of Albania and Alex Kazakis of Greece.

The Balkans boys could go well with the support of experienced campaigner Niels Feijen (who has won 41 of his 62 Mosconi outings), while Austria's Albin Ouschan, victorious in nine of his 11 matches in two cup triumphs, returns to the fold.

The last USA triumph was in 2009, although the Americans had generally bossed their European counterparts before then.

Picking a winner of the Mosconi Cup is seldom easy. The Euro­peans are riding the crest of a wave but while Ouschan and new world number one Kaci are respected, the best bet could be to back Shaw to be his side's top points scorer.

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