28th June 2013 09:28
Russia face rivals from Belarus, hosts Estonia, France, Great Britain, Italy, Poland and the Ukraine.
The Russian decathletes have four of the five best scores his season of those entered in the men's event, with Artem Lukyanenko leading the way with 8085 points.
Their dominance is separated by Belarusian Eduard Mikhan who has 7975 before Russia fill the next three places with Evgeny Sarantsev (7739), Ivan Grigorev (7726) and Mikhail Logvinenko (7721).
With the best three scores counting, Russia's men won last year with 23,305 from Estonia with 23,095.
A repeat of their season's heptathlon bests by Russia's women would see them triumph again as Aleksandra Butvina (5993), Uliana Aleksandrova (5860), Elena Molodchinina (5777) and Iana Panteleyeva (5725) have the combined best scores entering the competition but the overall standard is high.
Yana Maksimava, of Belarus, was fifth in Gotzis with 6194, and is the leading individual points scorer in the women's here, closely followed Ukraine's Hanna Melnychenko with 6169 and Antoinette Nana Djimou, of France, with 6058.
Russia's women took the 2012 title with 17,816 ahead of Ukraine with 17,600.
The 1st League takes place in Nottwil, Switzerland, where the home country face the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.
And while this event is based around the team, it is the Dutch who arrive with strength in what has been an outstanding year for the country in the multi-events.
In Gotzis last month, Nadine Broersen produced the best heptathlon performance of her career when she finished second with 6345 points, missing out on the title by just 31 as Canada's Brianne Theisen triumphed.
And while this weekend is all about the combined competition, Broersen should be the woman to beat for the individual crown in a team where she is joined by Nicole Berghouwer, Myrte Goor and Amanda Spiljard.
The Czech Republic have Eliska Klucinova in their line-up and she is back just three weeks after scoring 6190 in Kladno.
As Broersen was so close to victory in Gotzis, her teammate Eelco Sintnicolass failed to finish the decathlon in a year which began in style for him when he won the pentathlon at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Göteborg.
But his personal best of 8506 makes him the top points scorer in the competition, though it is the Czech men of Pavel Baar, Jaroslav Hedvicak, Adam Hromcik and Vaclav Sedlak who are the only team to have all completed decathlons in 2013 and their competition practice could prove important.
Ribeira Brava in Portugal is the venue for the 2nd League.
The men's decathlon has the hosts facing Israel, Norway, Romania and Türkiye while the women meet heptathletes from Croatia, Denmark, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Norway and Romania.
On season's bests, the top man is Norway's Lars Vikan Rise who scored 7608 points in Oslo last month while the leading woman is Denmark's only competitor here, Tine Bach Ejlersen, who has a personal best of 5520 from Firenze at the start of May.