Vincenzo Nibali and Gianni Moscon are set to lead the Italian elite men´s team at the Road World Championships in Innbsruck. National coach Davide Cassani confirmed seven of the eight-man squad at a press conference in Milan on Monday, with four riders in a short list for the final spot. Nibali and Moscon will be joined on the team by Fabio Aru (UAE Team Emirates), Franco Pellizotti, Domenico Pozzovivo (Bahrain-Merida), Damiano Caruso and Alessandro De Marchi (BMC). Gianluca Brambilla (Trek-Segafred), Dario Cataldo (Astana Pro Team), Davide Formolo (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Giovanni Visconti (Bahrain-Merida) are in contention for the final berth, with a decision to be taken following this week´s series of four one-day races in Italy.ADVERTISEMENT The Giro di Toscana is on Wednesday, with the Coppa Sabatini the following day, while the Memorial Pantani and Trofeo Matteotti take place at the weekend. An Italian selection will compete in each race. The Innsbruck Worlds has been one of Nibali´s stated objectives since the start of the season, but his chances were compromised by the crash that forced him out of the Tour de France and left him with a broken vertebra. The Bahrain-Merida rider returned to action at the Vuelta a España but although he completed the race, he sounded a subdued note about his chances in Innsbruck, telling La Gazzetta dello Sport, `I´m not in the condition to make the difference and be able to win the Worlds.` Speaking in Milan on Monday, Cassani insisted that Nibali could still play a prominent role on September 30 in Austria. Nibali will ride the Memorial Pantani on Saturday as his final build-up race ahead of the Worlds.
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