Among those absent from the action at the Piscine Georges Vallerey will be Aleksandr Maltsev, who won three golds in the virtual event hosted by Canada and the United States which took place shortly before FINA hardened their stance over Russian and Belarusian athletes competing on March 23.

Russia’s Mayya Gurbanberdieva, who earned two golds in the opening leg, will be another noted absentee.

Maltsev and Gurbanderdieva combined to win the mixed duet free event on the second day of the opening leg, and their absence opens the way for Puerto Rico’s bronze medallists, Javier Enrique Ruisanchez Torres Zayas and Nicolle Adriana Torrens Mercada, to reach the top step of the podium on Sunday.

In Saturday’s male solo technical event, the respective first leg silver and bronze medallists, Spain's Fernando Díaz del Rio Soto and Puerto Rico’s Javier Enrique Ruisanches Torres Zayas will battle it out for gold.

The absence of Russia’s four-time world champion and three-time European champion Varvara Subbotina will also affect the women's solo technical competition, which she won in the first leg.

With Japan’s Itsuki Hirota also not taking part, it will be a big opportunity for the 17-year-old first leg bronze medallist, Canada’s Audrey Lamothe, to move up the podium.

Other disciplines, such as tomorrow’s women’s duet free, will see gold medallists return - in this event it will be Megumi Field and Natalie Cristina Vega of the United States seeking to maintain winning momentum in the absence of the first leg silver medallists South Korea.

Belarus athletes earned a silver and two bronzes in the opening leg.