All three missed last weekend's penultimate stage in Ivrea but, with the 2017 World Championships just three weeks away, the trio will be hoping to produce some positive performances at La Seu d’Urgell.

This weekend will also see the World Cup champions of 2017 crowned.

While all four Olympic gold medallists from Rio, including Ladislav and Peter Škantár, are not in the running for the World Cup crown the competition in several of the disciplines is close.

Double points are on offer this weekend in Spain, throwing all the events wide open.

Only Germany's Ricarda Funk in the women's K1 looks to have sealed a title with three wins from four races this season giving her 170 points.

Slovakia's Jana Dukatova is second on 177, a solitary point in front of Australia's Jessica Fox on 176.

Despite also winning three C1 titles this year, Fox is not a certainty to win the overall crown because she missed the final in the season opener in Prague.

Fox has 197 points while Czech Tereza Fiserova, who finished third in Ivrea, is second on 172 points.

In the men's K1, Vit Prindis of the Czech Republic finds himself in a similar situation to Fox, having won three World Cups this year but still facing an outside chance of losing the overall title.

He has amassed 208 points, 30 more than Germany's Sebastian Schubert.

This season's most consistent paddler, German Sideris Tasiadis, has a commanding lead in the men's C1 category.

His two gold and two silver medals has put him on 230 points, 34 more than Slovakia's Matej Benus.

In the men's C2 Czech duo Jonas Kaspar and Marek Sindler find themselves at the top of the standings on 220 points.

The World Cup will begin tomorrow and conclude on Sunday (September 10).