Vincenzo Nibali has won twice at Il Lombardia, and the Italian tifosi are hoping he can continue his alternating winning streak. But after a long racing season that included the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, the Messina shark is unsure if he can bite back in his last major race in Bahrain-Merida before moving to Trek-Segafredo for the 2020 season.

Bahrain-Merida named Nibali and Dylan Tuns as team leaders, perhaps taking a gamble on the Belgian from his third-place finish in 2018, knowing Nibali lacked the endurance and form necessary to win one of the hardest classics of the season He knew he had what it takes to win one of the hardest classics of the season.

Nibali fell early on the final climb of the Giro delle Miglia finale, San Luca, last Sunday, leaving him angry and doubtful. On Tuesday, he made a decisive attack on the Tre Valli Varesine, but was dragged off the road by televised bikes and other riders. Nibali's late-season form remains in doubt, and he knows what it takes to win in Lombardy, but doubts his chances.

"When I won in 2015 and 2017 I was in perfect shape. Not so this year," Nibali told La Gazzetta dello Sport on Friday, tempering his hopes for Il Lombardia. [In 2017, he was third in the Giro d'Italia and second in the Vuelta a España. If he is in good shape for the Vuelta, he will recover and can almost compete with his rivals in the end-of-season races. Both Valverde and Roglic have that feeling.

"The first half of 2019 was intense, with a lot of preparation, running the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France. I came back from a low level. I've found my end-of-season form, but I don't know if it's enough because one-day races are more aggressive than Grand Tours.

"To win Il Lombardia, you need to have the endurance to ride to the end and the strength to make the winning moves. I don't know if I have both of those things this year, so I'm trying to keep my expectations low."

Nibali enters the race with his chest out, as he always does, but he also knows that this time it may not be enough.

"To win at Lombardy, you need legs as well as heart," he warns.

"It's a special race, with the foliage in the hills and the end-of-season atmosphere, but Lombardia is a long, hard race. It also requires mental focus and strength because of the hard, concentrated training in the final weeks of the season. We will see who is the strongest mentally and physically in the final near Como."