"I was hoping for a nice duel with Remco" - Tadej Pogacar on Evenepoel's Liege-Bastogne-Liege absence, van der Poel's challenge and skipping brutal Fleche Wallonne

Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel will write the latest chapter in their rivalry next Sunday at Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Ahead of the race, Pogacar was full of praise for perhaps his biggest challenger.

"What he does is fantastic. Not just this year, but every season. But this year it's just a little more. He chooses his races and performs at a super high level everywhere," the Slovenian says of his Dutch rival in his pre-race press conference, with quotes collected by In de Leiderstrui. "He rides incredibly well in the most important races. He is a rider for the biggest races. Would it be fun to race against him? Not entirely, because he is so incredibly strong. But he is a good competitor and that is of course nice."

The duo have been good friends off the bike for a while, semi-regularly spotted training together also. This Sunday though, both will out for victory. ''Let's go for a 100 kilometre solo. Why not?" Pogacar laughs. "Just kidding. This is no Paris-Roubaix or Strade Bianche. These are races where it is a little easier. The most difficult climbs in Liège-Bastogne-Liège are also deeper in the race. So it's very difficult to start early."

Aside from van der Poel and Pogacar himself, Mattias Skjelmose perhaps stands out as a candidate for victory. However, the Lidl-Trek leader was rocked on Wednesday as he was carried out of a brutal La Fleche Wallonne with hypothermia. "I'm glad I didn't participate in Fleche Wallonne. I was able to train in Spain in good weather. It was about twenty degrees, wonderful. Looking back, I don't regret not participating. It was terrible to see those guys like that. It was really painful, as I saw on television," Pogacar says. "I sympathized enormously with Mattias. He is a huge contender on Sunday, provided it is not too cold of course. Just kidding of course. It really sucked for him. It looked horrible. He is a good contender, provided he dresses well and warmly."

"I think it's a shame that Remco Evenepoel is not there. He has already won the race twice. In those two editions I was not there in the final. So at the beginning of this year I was hoping for a nice duel with Remco. He really loves this race and so do I," Pogacar continues. "It could have been very interesting. But cycling sucks sometimes. The more big names at the start, the more I like it. It's also good for my motivation. If boys from the top participate and you can win, the satisfaction of a victory is only greater."

Despite being pre-race favourite, Pogacar isn't taking anything for granted. "There are so many climbs and good names that you can really be surprised in Liège. You must always be alert and have a good team that can monitor. I think there are a lot of serious contenders," he concludes. "Take everyone from the top fifteen of the Amstel Gold Race or Flèche Wallonne. They are good climbers. So I will have to be very alert in the last 100 kilometres. Fortunately I have a good team."