“It will be exciting to see if Seixas can respond to a Pogacar attack... I imagine he can” – Magnus Cort backs teenage sensation to match Tadej Pogacar in Liège

As the spotlight intensifies on Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the conversation around who can challenge Tadej Pogacar continues to evolve. While much of the focus has centred on established names, Magnus Cort Nielsen believes the most compelling answer may lie with the sport’s youngest rising force.

Paul Seixas has already emerged as one of the standout performers of the 2026 season, and for Cort, the next step is clear. Can he go with Pogacar when it matters most?

Liège-Bastogne-Liège has often been shaped by a single decisive acceleration on the final climbs. In recent years, that moment has frequently belonged to Pogacar, whose long-range attacks have proven impossible to match.

Cort sees that same scenario playing out again, but with a twist. “Seixas has been riding really, really strongly, and I think it will be exciting to see him — whether he can respond to an attack like that (from Pogacar, ed.). I can actually imagine that he can,” he said in conversation with TV2.

That belief places Seixas in rare company. Not just as a contender, but as a rider capable of directly answering the defining move of the race.

The suggestion that Seixas could follow Pogacar is not without foundation. His second place behind the Slovenian at Strade Bianche offered an early indication that he could operate at that level, while his dominant overall victory at the Itzulia Basque Country confirmed that ability across a full week of racing.

More recently, his win at Flèche Wallonne underlined his explosiveness on steep climbs, reinforcing the idea that he has both the form and the confidence to take on the biggest names in the sport.

That progression has quickly shifted expectations. Seixas is no longer viewed as an outsider, but as a genuine factor in how the race may unfold.

Cort’s optimism stands out in the broader conversation. In recent days, more cautious assessments have focused on the demands of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, particularly over its 260-kilometre distance and the repeated climbing efforts required late in the race.

Those doubts centre on whether Seixas can sustain his level deep into the final hour, especially against a rider like Pogacar who has repeatedly shown he can decide the race alone.

Cort, however, is looking at a more specific moment. Not the entire race, but the decisive move. And in that moment, he believes Seixas has the capacity to respond.

That is what makes Sunday’s race so compelling. If Pogacar attacks, as expected, the race will once again hinge on who can follow. For years, the answer has often been no one.

Now, for the first time, there is a growing belief that Seixas might be different. Cort is among those willing to say it out loud.

Whether that belief holds over the decisive climbs of Liège-Bastogne-Liège will define not only the outcome of the race, but potentially the next chapter in Seixas’ rapid rise.