Loch, now 24, became the youngest men's champion in the event four years ago when he won on a shortened course following the death of Georgian Nodar Kumaritashvili who was killed in a horrific training crash at the Whistler Sliding Center.
Quadruple world champion Loch has already secured his third straight World Cup season points championship.
Having had some tremendous battles over the years with rival Georg Hackl, evergreen Armin Zoeggler will once again try to keep Germany off the top of the podium in what will be the 40-year-old's last Games.
Nicknamed "the cannibal", Zoeggler won Olympic gold in 2002 and 2006, silver in 1998 and bronze in 1994 and 2010.
"The Olympic track is very challenging and it will not be easy to win a place on the podium, but I will do my best for it," Zoeggler told Reuters.
"The German athletes and also my team mate, Dominik Fischnaller, will not make it easy for me to reach the podium in Sochi."
PAIN FREE
World champion Geisenberger, who had to settle for bronze in Whistler, has been almost unbeatable in World Cup races this season, winning the first six before her run was ended by team mate Tatjana Hufner, the Olympic champion.
Hufner has put the back problems that dogged the early part of the season behind her, taking a World Cup victory in Oberhof last month, and she is ready to defend her title.
"The Olympic Games have their own laws - everything will be reshuffled," she said.
"My back is really very good and I'm free of pain," the quadruple world champion said. "I'm smiling again - this is what my coach always wanted."
Russia's biggest medal hopes lie with Tatiana Ivanova and Albert Demchenko.
In the Luge doubles, Austrian brothers Andreas and Wolfgang Linger seek a third successive Olympic triumph while new this year to the Olympic luge competition will be a team relay which will include one woman, one man and one doubles team from each nation sliding back-to-back-to-back runs.
(Editing by Julien Pretot)
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