Bristol's Chris Wood has been paired with fellow Vivendi Trophy rookie Anthony Wall in the opening matches in France.

The biennial battle between Continental Europe and Great Britain and Ireland begins today with five fourball matches.

Nailsea golfer Wood and Wall will be the second pairing out at the spectacular St Nom la Breteche club and will be up against the Swedish pair of Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson.

Thomas Björn and Paul McGinley, veterans of five Ryder Cups between them and equally familiar with the thrill of victory in golf's classic team confrontation, will both get their first taste of captaincy this week

Denmark's Björn, who leads Continental Europe and Irishman McGinley, in charge of the Great Britain and Ireland side, are eager to use the vast experience gained in European Team rooms from Valderrama to The K Club in this biennial match which honours the great Seve Ballesteros.

Björn, holder of nine European Tour titles and a Ryder Cup winner in 1997 and 2002, said: "I have a good bunch of guys and I can sense that they want to go to Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche and do a good job.

"It's important everyone on the team stands together and gets right behind each other with heart and soul. When you get 10 guys together they will not all necessarily be playing great golf, but it's a question of getting everybody believing and dreaming the same dream and I am confident we can do that."

McGinley, who has won four titles on Tour but has the edge on his Danish rival with three Ryder Cup victories in 2002, 2004 and 2006, said: "I am going to be captaining some of the most exciting talent in world golf at the moment and that is a challenge in itself.

"I am looking forward immensely to working with quality players and see where we go. I am very much going into it with an open mind because I have things to learn and I've never done it before."

But one person who will not be there – for the start at least – is the man who inspired the competition.

Ballesteros is to make a late decision on whether to attend the closing stages of the Vivendi Trophy this weekend.

The Spaniard had four life-saving operations after the discovery of a brain tumour last October and is still recovering.

"I was hoping to attend personally but I am feeling very tired at the moment as I have just finished my radiotherapy treatments, which I have been receiving over the past month," said Ballesteros in a statement.

"I will wait until the end of the week to decide if I'm able to attend or not.

"I send the players and captains my best wishes and I hope that they enjoy the spectacular St-Nom la Breteche club as much as I did in the past."