Team Principal Dave Brailsford has called on Team Sky's Tour de France squad to prove they are the 'strongest team on the road' after hailing them as the 'strongest on paper'.

Two days before the start of the three-week Grand Tour, Brailsford admitted to feeling the usual mix of anticipation and excitement, as he praised the form of team leader Chris Froome.

But he was also quick to highlight the strength of the group around Froome as the team goes in search of its fourth yellow jersey in five years.

Two-time Tour de France winner Froome will be supported by Mikel Landa, Geraint Thomas, Sergio Henao, Wout Poels, Mikel Nieve, Vasil Kiryienka, Luke Rowe and Ian Stannard, all of whom have enjoyed strong campaigns in the lead up to the Tour.

Brailsford said: "This is one of the high points of the year for us and on the eve of the Tour de France there's always that usual mix of anticipation and excitement.

"One of the defining factors for me this year is the strength of the team we've pulled together. I'm pretty sure that at one point or another every one of the guys has led Team Sky in their own right, so each one of them knows what it's like to have a team of riders riding for them.

"Now the challenge is to come together and really fulfil the team's functions, and to make sure that, while we've got the strongest team on paper, we've got the strongest team on the road too.

"We all know that a star team will always beat a team of stars. From our point of view it's about coming together and trying to achieve that now."

Froome arrives at the Tour having undergone a subtly different racing schedule this year, in order to maintain his peak form further into the season, and Brailsford believes that the team have achieved that goal.

He added: "In Chris we've got a fantastic leader, and I think it's fair to say he's taken a slightly different approach to the start of the season than we have traditionally.

"He's coming up to top form a bit later and he'll try to hold onto that through to the Olympics and the second part of the season.

"I think he is in great shape."