UAE Team Emirates has named the riders who will support Tadej Pogachar in his Giro d'Italia debut.

The eight-man roster is split between mountain riders for the Slovenian's GC ambitions and smaller sprinters for Juan Sebastián Morano's stage chase.

Pogachar is expected to dominate the 21-day race from start to finish with a punchy opening stage in Turin on Saturday.

UAE Team Emirates has assembled a team of some of the most loyal domestiques of his young but illustrious career.

Rafaou Mayka, Mikkel Bjarg, Felix Großschartner, and Domen Novak formed the mountain train and launched Pogachar on the key climbs, while Vegard Stake Rengen, Rui Oliveira, and Juan Sebastian Morano were on the flat chase the break and contest the group sprint.

"Preparation for the Giro is going very well. I've only raced 10 days this year, so I'm fresh and ready to take on my first Giro. It's a race I've dreamed about for a long time and I feel like now is the time," Pogachar said.

"I raced a lot in Italy as an amateur and it has been an important country in my journey as a cyclist. It's one of my favorite places to ride a bike, I love the culture and of course the food. I hope to make this month special."

"Of course, my goal is to go for GC and I have Morano in the sprint and the whole team is very solid. I can't wait to get started."

Majka, Bjarg, and Stijk Lengen have been key road lieutenants throughout Pogachar's first few Grand Tours, but it will be fellow countryman Novak who will make his first appearance in the three-week race with the Slovenian star.

The 28 year old has made a big splash in 2023 when he moved to the UAE from Bahrain Victorious. Throughout both the Catalan Volta and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Novak was Pogachar's strongest Dominique, and he will be a force to be reckoned with in Italy.

Morano and Oliveira will no doubt thrive on the flat, but their focus will be on the six or seven sprint competition opportunities on the route.

The Colombian sprinter has yet to win this season, but he has three wins at the World Tour level in 2023, and after the Portuguese lead-out man led Morano to victory on stage 12 of the Vuelta a España last year, he and Oliveira are best It was. He will be competing with Tim Mellier (Soudal-Quick Step) and Jonathan Milano (Lidl-Trek) for the fast finish.