Tadej Pogachar might argue that UAE Team Emirates has a lineup "ready for any option" in Milan-San Remo, but in reality, their selection consists mainly of Slovenians.

Matteo Trentin, who abstained from Paris-Nice due to a late concussion, and fellow fast finishers Fernando Gaviria and Pascal Ackermann are absent, and instead UAE Team Emirates is laying the groundwork for Pogachar's seemingly inevitable attack in the finale. The team was formed for the purpose of.

Davide Formolo, Diego Ulissi, Jan Polancu, Oliviero Troia, Alessandro Covi, and Ryan Gibbons of Milan-San Remo de View line up with Pogachar at the Vigorelli Stadium in Milan on Saturday morning.

Pogachar, who has already won the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, and Tirreno-Adriatico this season, arrived in Milan as the leading candidate for Milan-San Remo.

But the peloton is bracing itself for Pogachar's team to try to make the race more to his liking by carving a hellish tempo on his behalf in the last 50 km of the Milano-San Remo cape.

"I couldn't have asked for a better start to the year. The whole team has pulled together and worked really hard. I am excited for Milan-San Remo," Pogachar said in a statement released by the team on Thursday.

"The finish is not too far from Monaco, where I live, so I know the last part of the race and the final climb a little bit.

Pogachar's only previous appearance in Milan-San Remo was in 2020, when the race was postponed due to a pandemic, and he finished 12th on the Via Roma, two seconds behind winner Wout Van Art. The following month, Pogachar won his first Tour de France and defended that title last July.

The Tour de France champion had not won Milan-San Remo since Eddy Merckx in 1975. During this period, only two riders, Laurent Fignon and Vincenzo Nibali, have won both the Tour and Milano-Sanremo.

"As we have seen, this is one of the most difficult races to win and could end up with many different outcomes," Pogachar said.

"We have a team in the UAE that can handle all options, so I have no doubt that it will be a great race.