Mark Cavendish will lead Quick Step Alfavinir in the Flanders Classics.

Fabio Jacobsen was expected to be the Belgian team's sprint card for the cobbled race and won last month's Coure Brussel-Coone, but will step aside after a surprise call-up for the Milan-San Remo weekend.

If Cavendish wins on Wednesday, there could be a question mark over which players will be selected for Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday.

Cavendish showed his form by winning Milan-Torino last week, but was not considered for Milan-San Remo, telling reporters after the race that "nobody from the team talked to me about it."

The Manxman will have the chance to lead the Belgian team at the most critical time of the season at home: the Classic Bruges des Pannes, a one-day race since 2018, through windswept northwestern Belgium, is flat and a group sprint It tends to become a group sprint.

"De Panne is flat, but it is by no means an easy race. De Panne is flat, but it's never an easy race," "You have to tackle a few laps and you go through De Molen, which is famous for its crosswinds that cause chaos in the peloton. Whether it will be the same on Wednesday remains to be seen, but at the moment this scenario seems unlikely," said Tom Steele, director of Quick Step Alpha Vinyl.

"We will send a solid and determined team to the start that can control the race.

Cavendish will be supported by lead-out man Michael Morkoff, who led him to victory in Milan-Torino and played a key role in the team's victory at De Panne last year with Sam Bennett.

Making up the Quick Step Alphavinil lineup are: Mikel Honoré, Iljo Keisse, Stein Stiels, Jannik Steimle, and Bert van Lerberghe.