Milan-San Remo: Viviani headlines Team Sky roster

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Italian Elia Viviani will lead Team Sky for this Saturday's Milan-San Remo with a strong support cast by his side. The 28-year-old has never finished better than 84th at the first of the five monuments but is confident he can win the race.

Viviani isn't the only option for the British team with Ian Stannard, a former sixth-place finisher, Michal Kwiatkowski and Danny van Poppel three further aces in the deck. Last year Ben Swift finished second for Sky, but he has since moved on to UAE Team Emirates.

"Milan-San Remo is my major goal of the season and that's what I'll be working towards during the winter. There's also the Giro d'Italia. The first stage could be a bunch sprint, so the pink jersey is something to aim for," Viviani said in the off-season.

Viviani's 2017 season started with three runner-up placings behind Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) at the Vuelta a San Juan. Last year's Olympic Games omnium gold medallist then went on to record several top-ten results at Dubai Tour and Abu Dhabi Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico but is still chasing a debut win in 2017.

In previous editions of Milan-San Remo, Kwiatkowski has been an aggressive force and recently showed his form by winning Strade Bianchi for the second time. The former world champion provides an option for a late attack should the race and peloton allow.

While Team Sky has several experienced riders on the roster for Milan-San Remo, van Poppel, Gianni Moscon and Lukasz Wisniowski make their debuts. Moscon has recovered from his injuries sustained on stage 1 of Tirreno-Adriatico when his front wheel disintegrated mid-TTT.

One missing name from the Milan-San Remo start list for the first time since 2013 is Geraint Thomas. The Welshman is eyeing off the general classification at Giro d'Italia and as a consequence is skipping the classics in 2017.

Having helped Sergio Henao to overall Paris-Nice victory last week, Luke Rowe will be a key man for Sky on Saturday as he and Italian Salvatore Puccio round out the eight-man squad.

Cyclingnews will have live coverage of the 108th edition of Milan-San Remo with a full report, results, video highlights, photo gallery and news to follow.

Team Sky for 2017 Milan-San Remo: Michael Kwiatkowski, Gianni Moscon, Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard, Danny van Poppel, Salvatore Puccio, Lukasz Wisniowski and Elia Viviani.