Matthews takes on McNulty and Del Toro at Gran Piemonte after World Championship collusion accusations

According to the official race website, the 110th edition will have "a distinctly rainbow-coloured feel". The 185-kilometre route from Asti to Bra will feature McNulty and Matthews, first and second in Montréal, along with Del Toro, who finished fifth in Canada and won last year's edition at Acqui Terme. Mads Pedersen, sixth at the Worlds and winner of the Tour de France green jersey, is also on the list.

This time there is no question of national colours. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG's Gran Piemonte squad contains Del Toro, McNulty, Filippo Baroncini, Benoît Cosnefroy, Luca Giaimi, Jhonatan Narváez and António Morgado. Del Toro is given race number 1, as defending champion, but will he be the team's first choice leader?

Del Toro won last year's 179-kilometre edition 40 seconds ahead of Marc Hirschi, with Bauke Mollema third. Matthews finished fifth that day, in the group 1'07" down. Hirschi is back this year too, along with French champion Romain Grégoire, Giro del Lazio winner Dorian Godon, Alberto Bettiol, Lorenzo Mark Finn, Matej Mohorič, Corbin Strong, Mauro Schmid and Tobias Halland Johannessen. It is quite the line up.

The route contains ten short climbs which will suit them all, including Manera, Tre Cunei and Roddino, before a 34.7-kilometre finishing circuit that crosses Cherasco and climbs La Morra a second time. The final 1,500 metres into Bra start with a ramp that reaches 8 percent, which gives Matthews a finish to aim for.

Thursday is the first time Matthews and the UAE pair have raced each other since Montréal. On the podium the Australian was gracious towards McNulty, but he later told a different story, without naming anyone. Tom Pidcock was more direct, saying that "Del Toro was obviously working for McNulty in the end there".

UAE has rejected the idea out of hand.Team manager Joxean Fernández Matxin told the doubters: "To anyone who insinuates this, I urge you to speak with data and not with opinions." Matxin even argued that Del Toro, not McNulty, was the strongest rider in Montréal.

Del Toro's plans for Saturday are less clear than his plans for Thursday. Domestique lists him among the riders expected to challenge for victory in Como in Tadej Pogačar's absence, alongside Remco Evenepoel, Paul Seixas and Enric Mas.

Fox Sports México reported on 5 October that he would start the final Monument of the season on 10 October, and CyclingFlash's provisional start list includes both Del Toro and McNulty.

UAE has not yet confirmed that he will be there. Until the team does, his legs on Thursday may be the best guide to whether one of Saturday's favourites will actually start.