Fallen South African athletic star Oscar Pistorius will rely on a hand-picked team of forensic experts when he mounts his defense against murder charges at a trial beginning on Monday.

"We are going to see a clash of experts in this case. It is going to be an issue of how the forensics plays out," according to David Klatzow, a South African forensic scientist not linked to the case.

Pistorius is expected to argue he shot his 29-year-old lover through a locked toilet door at his home believing she was an intruder.