Events start tomorrow and are due to end on Sunday (January 17).

Friedrich and his respective push athletes Alexander Schüller and Thorsten Margis, have won eight of the nine two-man events this season, the other won by Friedrich's closest rival this season - his compatriot, Johannes Lochner.

Other contenders for the event include Switzerland's Michael Vogt and Latvia's Oskars Ķibermanis, the latter winning silver on three occasions so far this season.

Friedrich, Schüller and Margis were all part of the winning four-man race in Winterberg, Germany, along with Candy Bauer - the only race in the discipline to take place so far.

Their closest competitors in Winterberg was the team led by Canada's Justin Kripps and the Austrian quartet led by Benjamin Maier.

Germany have won all five races in the two-woman bobsleigh World Cup this season, but Laura Nolte should be considered the favourite.

Nolte has won three races so far, including last time out in Winterberg, only failing to make the podium once after not finishing her run in Sigulda.

Other German winners this season have been Stephanie Schneider and Mariama Jamanka, but it is a fourth German pilot who tops the World Cup standings currently.

Kim Kalicki is yet to win her first race this season, but has finished on the podium in all five races - winning silver three times and bronze twice.

The only non-German to make the podium so far this season is Austria's Katrin Beierl, who has a silver and bronze to her name so far and sits second in the standings.

The absence of new European skeleton champions, Alexander Tretiakov and Elena Nikitina of Russia, paves the way for the two World Cup leaders to extend their lead.

Martins Dukurs of Latvia has won all but one race so far this season, having to settle for silver in Winterberg, which doubled as the European Championships.

His brother Tomass Dukurs has proven to be solid again this season and could be his closest competitor.

Germans Alexander Gassner and Felix Keisinger are also expected to challenge for gold.

Austria's Janine Flock sits top of the women's standings with three victories to her name and will have to hold off The Netherlands' Kimberley Bos to make it a fourth gold this season.

Germany's Tina Hermann is another potential challenger, having beaten Flock to silver in Winterberg.

Both Tretiakov and Nikitina have decided to skip the event to focus on the IBSF World Championships, scheduled to take place in Altenberg from February 5 to 14.