ORICA-GreenEDGE names Paris-Nice squad

Australian Michael Matthews will lead Orica-GreenEDGE at the 9 March Paris-Nice in his first hit-out of the 2015 season.

Sport director Laurenzo Lapage said the team will be looking at two specific opportunities to position Matthews for a stage victory.

"Stages five and six are stages that can suit us," Lapage said. "(Michael) Albasini, (Simon) Clarke and Jens Keukeleire, those guys will be free to go in the breakaway and if it comes together we will go for Bling (Matthews)."

"Those stages will suit us more to go to for the win because in my opinion the first three days will be a bunch sprint.

"When you look at the race, we don't have the fastest guy on those flat stage so we don't have to take responsibility early in the race to control. It will be more important in the first three days for guys like Bling to get back into the racing environment again."

Lepage said that the team will work to place young gun Simon Yates into a high position on the general classification.

"There is one thing for sure and that is our leader for the overall will be Simon Yates," Lapage said.

"All of the team will help Simon to start the climb in a perfect position on stage four. If we can have Clarkey (Simon Clarke) stay around him as long as possible it will be perfect and then, of course as a mountain top finish, once he is in a good position to start the climb it is up to him to show how the legs are."

ORICA-GreenEDGE for Paris-Nice

Michael Matthews (AUS), Simon Clarke (AUS), Mitch Docker (AUS), Michael Albasini (SUI), Daryl Impey (RSA), Jens Keukeleire (BEL), Christian Meier (CAN), Simon Yates (GBR).