The 30-year-old, the back-to-back C1 1,000 metres gold medallist at London 2012 and Rio 2016, has stepped in to help his country in the team boat due to Conrad Scheibner suffering from illness.

This left Michael Muller without a partner and Brendel, also the C2 1,000m champion at Rio 2016 with Jan Vandrey, has agreed to step in.

"It's always fun, it's good to change boats to make experience in the team boat," Brendel said.

"I think after two days training we have a good combination."

Brendel's main challengers could be fellow Germans Yul Oeltze and Peter Kretschmer, the reigning world champions.

He will still compete in the C1 1,000m event where he will face the two men who came behind him in his gold medal winning performance at last year's World Championships in Račice.

Czech Martin Fuksa won silver on home water on that occasion with Brazil's Isaquias Queiroz the bronze medallist.

Eight-time World Championship gold medallist Brendel believes that he is not in the best of condition after skipping the opening leg of the World Cup season in Hungary last week.

"I know that I'm not in the best shape now, but it is the first test now and it is a long way to the World Championships, so we have some more time," Brendel said.

In women's events Germany will also be strong with K2 500m Olympic silver medallists Tina Dietze and Franziska Weber representing the host nation.

They will be in different events, however, with Dietze in the K1 500m and Weber among the K4 team.

New Zealand's two-time Olympic champion Lisa Carrington will join her World Championship winning partner Caitlin Ryan in the K2 500m after winning with Kayla Imrie in Hungary.

Elsewhere, Czech Olympic silver medallist Josef Dostal will also make his return in the men's K1 1,000m.

Action will continue until Sunday (May 27).