KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7: Germany will be looking to add the prestigious Sultan Azlan Shah Cup to their world and European titles when the 13th edition of the hockey showpiece gets under way here on Thursday.

The tournament is being used by Germany and several other teams as a warm-up to this year's Olympics, with all sides apart from India sending full-strength squads for the event.

The Germans lead a star-studded field which includes 2002 Asian Games champions South Korea, Asia Cup winners India, Oceania champions and World Cup runners-up Australia and defending champions Pakistan. Spain and Malaysia complete the field.

Germany have brought 14 of the players that won the World Cup at the same venue two years ago and start as the favourites despite having to adjust to heat and humidity from a freezing European winter.

Florian Kuntz, Michael Green, Bjorn Michel are already household names in Malaysia and the German workmanlike performance will no doubt prove a handful for the other teams.

The Germans will however face stiff competition from Australia who are also laden with experienced players as they have nine players who were in the squad that lost in the World Cup final to Germany.

"It is going to be a tough tournament and any team is capable of winning it, though I would like it to be us," said Australian coach Barry Dancer. "This tournament will not only give the coaches an insight of their players but also give an opportunity for the younger players to prove their worth."

Though the Australians and Germans are favourites, the threat posed by the Spanish cannot be discounted. Under the astute guidance of Dutchman Maurits Hendriks, Spain has grown from strength to strength.

They may have finished a dismal 11th at the 2002 World Cup but their revival has been phenomenal since then. Spain emerged as champions in the second tier Champions Challenge tournament in Randburg, South Africa in July but it was their performance at the European Championships that made the hockey fraternity sit up and take notice.

The Spaniards qualified for the final and lost out on an automatic place in Athens by a penalty stroke competition to Germany. The Asian challenge will be provided by South Korea and Pakistan, who have at the helm another Dutchman Roland Oltmans.

Pakistan will count on the ability of Sohail Abas to get the goals through the penalty corner situations while the Koreans will be banking on Song Seung Tae to get them going.

As for India, despite being represented by 11 players who will carry their challenge at the Junior Asia Cup in Karachi this April, they may well prove to be a handful for the rest.

"The young players have a lot to prove and with the seniors guiding them, we will be out to surprise many teams," said Indian coach Harendra Singh. "Those who think of the Indian team as merely making up the numbers do so at their own peril," Singh added.

Thursday's fixtures: