Astana are looking to new Italian sprinter Andrea Guardini to deliver stage wins at the season-opening Santos Tour Down Under next month.
'Explosive jump'
"His explosive jump and tremendous leg speed took him to more than 20 top-10 finishes last season, including a win at the Giro d'Italia against the world champion, and made him a highly desirable prospect for 2013.
"Astana is sending a strong squad in support of Andrea."
Astana are yet to name the seventh member of their squad for Australia after mistakenly listing Andrey Kashechkin in their original line-up, despite the Kazakh having been suspended by the team last week for refusing to sign their code of conduct.
Meanwhile, AG2R La Mondiale have also announced their riders for the race, with former Team Sky sprinter Davide Appollonio and Belarusian Yauheni Hutarovich both set to make their debuts for the French outfit.
For BMC, Italian Ivan Santaromita has been added to the team in place of Alessandro Ballan, who was seriously injured in a training accident in Spain earlier this month.
The Santos Tour Down Under takes place from January 22-27, with the People's Choice Classic criterium preceding it on January 20.
Astana line-up for Santos Tour Down Under: Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz), Enrico Gasparotto (Ita), Andrea Guardini (Ita), Valerio Agnoli (Ita), Simone Ponzi (Ita), Francesco Gavazzi (Ita).
AG2R La Mondiale line-up for Santos Tour Down Under: Davide Appollonio (Ita), Gediminas Bagdonas (Lit), Guillaume Bonnafond (Fra), Mikaël Cherel (Fra), Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr), Blel Kadri (Fra), Julian Kern (Ger).
