Vincenzo Nibali hasn’t raced since he won Tre Valli Varesine but has spent plenty of time looking at the Tour of Lombardy route to ensure he gets his tactics spot on and can win his first Monument.

“It’s hard!!” he told Gazzetta dello Sport. “I rode the Civiglio and San Fermo della Battaglia, it’s a complex finish and will be even tougher if it rains.”

The biggest Astana tactic is to have strength in numbers, which they have with Landa, Rosa, Scarponi and Cataldo all riding the race.

“There’s a section of descent between the Sormano and the start of the Civiglio that will be crucial too. I predict that the peloton will be split into different groups after the Sormano. We’ve got to ensure we have at least two riders are with Nibali there. It’d be good to have Landa and Rosa and even Cataldo if he’s on a good day,” directeur sportif Giuseppe Martinelli predicted to Gazzetta dello Sport.

“If we have numerical supremacy we can control things. We can stop riders getting back on by setting a fast pace and stop attack by outsiders and our big rivals. If we need to make a huge effort as a team to chase things, which could cost us dearly in the final kliometres.”