Seve Ballesteros says Europe's bid to win an unprecedented fourth successive Ryder Cup will be harder than many are predicting.

The team, captained by Nick Faldo, have arrived at Valhalla for the 37th Ryder Cup which begins with the many experts Europe to continue their dominance of the event, having defeated the Americans by a record points margin of nine points on the last two meetings.

However, Ballesteros, who captained Europe to victory at Valderrama in 1997, has warned that beating America on home turf will not be straightforward.

"My heart as always says that Europe can win," Ballesteros said. "But, if they do, I think it will be a lot closer than many people believe.

"Both sides have some very strong players and some not so strong players. Europe perhaps are not quite as superior as people think.

"After (Padraig) Harrington, (Lee) Westwood, (Sergio) Garcia, (Miguel Angel) Jimenez, (Henrik) Stenson, (Ian) Poulter and (Paul) Casey, there is a long tail with a few unproven players.

"And there are quality players like Justin Rose and Robert Karlsson, who have either had injuries or not had their best seasons.

"If you look at a man-by-man analysis, I give the Europeans a slight advantage. However, tactics and team selection will obviously play a big part too, as well as the benefit of home advantage."

Faldo raised eyebrows when he named Paul Casey and Ian Poulter as his wild-card picks, rather than Ryder Cup veterans Darren Clarke and Colin Montgomerie. But Ballesteros believes Faldo's controversial decision to omit Clarke shows the strength of character needed to be a successful European captain.

"At the height of his playing career Faldo was very much a loner who got on with the business of winning," Ballesteros said. "Now he must be the opposite and has to be the one to unite his team of individuals. Of course his playing record is superb, and this will make him a good captain.

"The essential quality a captain must have is the confidence to make what he thinks are the right decisions. With many people calling for Darren Clarke to be included as a wild card, after his recent win and the fact that he had played in five Ryder Cups, Faldo went for Ian Poulter and Paul Casey instead.

"He showed he is his own man, prepared to make what he thought was the right - not just the most popular - decision, which I think is a good sign."