British Gas Duel in the Pool Venue: Manchester Aquatics Centre Date: 18-19 December 2009 Coverage: 18 December: 1900-2100 GMT, BBC Three, BBC Sport website and BBC Radio 5 live sports extra (starts 1830) 19 December: 1345-1630 GMT, BBC One and online (UK only)
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Phelps in town for Duel in the Pool
By Ollie Williams BBC Sport in Manchester
Michael Phelps says his plans for London 2012 are taking shape, on the eve of his competitive debut in the UK.
The United States swimming star said he knows how many events he plans to enter in the London Games but would not be specific on the exact number.
Phelps, who swims for the US against a European team at Duel in the Pool told BBC Sport: "There's a number in mind.
"If I can hang the goggles up and say I did everything I wanted to, I can look at myself as a successful athlete."
But a cagey Phelps added: "It's a number, I'll leave it at that."
He won eight gold medals inside Beijing's Water Cube in 2008, the record haul for one athlete at a single Olympics, and six golds plus two bronze in Athens four years earlier.
The Manchester event, which sees an American team take on a squad comprised of British, German and Italian swimmers on Friday and Saturday, is the first of its kind at this level in Britain.
Phelps is the headline act despite the presence of a number of Olympic and world champions in Manchester, not least Britain's Rebecca Adlington, who hailed Phelps as a "God of swimming" earlier in the day.
When told of Adlington's praise, Phelps said: "She's come a long way over the last two years... I don't really know what to say to that.
"We're all normal athletes, all swimmers out there trying to do our best. But I will say the British team has come a long way since I first came on the scene.
"They are going to be a force to be reckoned with coming into their home country in 2012, and this is the start of seeing how they're going to go then."
The event's head-to-head format, in which swimmers score five points for first place, three for second and one for third, is one the 14 British swimmers in the European team have rarely experienced.
Phelps, by contrast, is an old hand at "duel" format events, which are a feature of college swimming in the US.
The US clinched 4x100m freestyle gold by 0.08 seconds in Beijing
"It's what our college teams are always doing and it's what those guys are used to," said Phelps when asked if it would hand the American team an advantage.
"It's team-based, it will bring everybody together. There's a lot more strategy involved.
"I had a chance to see the pool yesterday and it's going to be loud. There's a lot of excitement on our team and I'm sure there is on the European side."
Phelps added it was "cool" to be competing in the UK for the first time.
"I'm getting ready for London 2012," he said. "That's where my mind is focused right now. It's great being over here, being able to get a feel for how it's going to be."
However, he said he would be unable to fulfil his ambition of watching a Manchester United match while in the country.
"A friend of a friend - Rio Ferdinand - plays for 'Man U' so I was hoping to catch a game while I was over here, but I'm not going to be able to."
Phelps was asked if he had any advice for the golfer Tiger Woods, who has become embroiled in a scandal surrounding his home life.
Adlington excited by Phelps' presence
"I've gone through a lot of tough times and I've made many mistakes," said the 24-year-old, who faced intense media scrutiny when photographed with a pipe used for smoking cannabis in February.
"I've found those mistakes have enabled me to become a stronger person and help other people.
"It's times like that you need your close friends and family to support you. I can't imagine what Tiger is going through and I wish him all the best.
"The only thing you can say is nobody's perfect - I cannot say I agree or disagree with things people do.
"Someone once said to me, 'You can make a thousand mistakes, but never make the same mistake again'."
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