The four-time Olympic medallist, seeded second for the tournament, has been struggling with injuries in recent months and has been unable to complete his usual training schedule.

The 30-year-old will nevertheless be hoping to banish the demons of his last European Championships appearance, where he was stunned by Poland's Jakub Dyjas in the second round.

Ovtcharov believes top seed and compatriot Timo Boll is the favourite for glory at the Pabellón Pedro Ferrándiz.

"Of course, I would like to win the title for the third time but the injury and my training deficit will make it difficult," Ovtcharov, the winner in 2013 and 2015, said.

"So I will do not put pressure on myself. 

"Anyhow I always believe in myself and believe that everything is possible."

Portugal's Marcos Freitas, seeded fourth, will hope to bring his recent run of form on the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) circuit to the event in Alicante.

England's Liam Pitchford also arrives at the continental event in good shape having beaten Olympic champion Ma Long of China at the ITTF Bulgarian Open last month.

"Timo is definitely the favourite for the title and Freitas is a candidate too," added Ovtcharov. 

"I also think that Pitchford is not to be underestimated after his victories against Ma Long and me, he has great self-confidence."

The women's field is headed by Austria's Sofia Polcanova, with World Championships doubles medallist Li Jie of The Netherlands seeded second.

The event begins tomorrow with preliminary group matches.