Valverde, Sanchez figure to push Contador in the 2010 Tour de France in July.

Alberto Contador will not only have to overcome Lance Armstrong if he is to clinch a third Tour de France, the Spaniard will also face a tough challenge from his compatriots, the Caisse d'Epargne manager said on Friday.

Defending champion Contador said earlier this year his main rivals for July's race would be seven-time winner Armstrong and Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, but according to Eusebio Unzue, the Caisse d'Epargne team will be a force to be reckoned with.

"Alberto Contador is the boss but the month of July is something special. But if we have our whole team, and in good shape, we can have an excellent Tour de France," Unzue told Reuters.

Spain's Alejandro Valverde and Luis Leon Sanchez have been showing in this week's Paris-Nice race they could be a threat during the Tour.

Valverde was second overall 20 seconds behind Contador after Friday's 157-km stage to Aix en Provence with Sanchez eight seconds further adrift.

"Paris-Nice has always been a very competitive race and we are there with a strong team," Unzue said.

"On Thursday Alberto won the stage but just behind him were riders in very good form like Alejandro. Everything is still possible in this race.

"Our leaders are feeling very well."

However, Caisse d'Epargne's plans for the Tour heavily depend on Vuelta champion Valverde, who will learn later this month whether a two-year ban on racing in Italy is to be extended to the rest of the world by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Valverde was banned by the Italian Olympic committee for alleged links to the Operation Puerto anti-doping investigation and missed last year's Tour de France because the race went through Italy.

For this year, it's "wait and see," said Unzue.