EUROPE’S best curlers will battle it out for podium places in the European Curling Championships (ECC) at Braehead Arena.

The event, which begins on Saturday, will see male and female Scottish teams take to the rink after both qualified to be among the top contenders in Division A.

Tom Brewster returns as Scotland’s male skip after competing at the World Men’s Curling Championship 2016 in Basel, Switzerland.

At last month’s European playdowns, Brewster faced a team led by Sochi 2014 silver medallist David Murdoch and another rink headed up by Kyle Smith, who represented Scotland at last year’s ECC in Esbjerg, Denmark.

Despite losing the first qualifying match 7-5 to Murdoch, Brewster’s side gained revenge in the best-of-three final with a 7-2, 9-5 win to beat their opponents 7-2 in the first of the best-of-three final matches — with three ends to go — and then took a comfortable 9-5 victory in nine ends, in the second game, which secured him the Europeans spot.

The Norway team skipped by Thomas Ulsrud will be a team for Scotland to be wary of. Ulsurd will be aiming to medal for the 10th consecutive year at the ECCs.

This year’s home female skip, Eve Muirhead, got through the Scottish European Playdowns without any major issues.

The 2014 Olympic bronze medal winner has reshuffled her side, which now features former alternate Lauren Gray as lead.

They won in straight matches — against Team Hannah Fleming — to secure their place at Braehead.

Muirhead will be hoping to go one better than last year and win the tournament in her home nation to add to her sole European title from 2011, in Moscow, Russia.

Muirhead also welcomes back third Anna Sloan, from injury.

The European Curling Championships is the qualifying event for the World Women’s and Men’s Curling Championships in 2017, which in turn are the last opportunity for Member Associations to earn Olympic Qualification Points for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, Korea.