Pinsent and Cracknell finished only fourth in the pairs in Milan

The duo are arguably rowing's finest oarsmen and won world titles together in 2001 and 2002.

But Great Britain rowing coach Jurgen Grobler could choose to switch them to the four in Athens.

"Of course it's complicated, of course it's clouded by emotion, but we all want the same thing and that's to win," Pinsent told the Observer newspaper.

Pinsent, who has won three Olympic gold medals, said he was not preparing to row in one particular event.

"The last thing I want to happen is for Jurgen to turn round and say 'Right Matt, we're doing this,' and for me to think 'I wish he hadn't said that'," he said.

"The one thing that Jurgen has told me so far is 'You do the training, you have a good year and we'll make sure we do the right thing.'"

Cracknell admitted: "If you spoke to our main rivals, the Australians and Croatians, they would probably expect us to do the four."

Pinsent and Cracknell won the coxed and coxless pairs at the world championships in Lucerne in 2001.

The following year, in Seville, they won the coxless pairs - the only event they competed in - in a world record time.

Pinsent won the national indoor championship - rowed on ergometers last November - with Cracknell coming second.

But the duo came only fourth in the coxless pairs at last year's world championships in Milan.

That result could persuade Grobler to move the duo to the four, who narrowly failed to win gold in Milan.