The World Club Cup has always been a tournament that has attracted much intrigue but is often not given the respect it probably deserves.
The tournament was first unveiled in 2000 as a way to create a club version of the World Cup which would officially determine the best team on the plant.
Seven teams take part in the tournament, this includes the six winners of the continental competition from each confederation as well the domestic title winners of the host nation.
After being held in Morocco for the last two years, the championships return to Japan this season with the final scheduled to be played in Yokohama on 20th December.
Champions League winners Barcelona will be representing UEFA and attempting to win the championship for a record breaking third time.
The structure of the competition is straight knockout with the eliminated teams of each round contesting a play off to decided their overall standing.
The winners of the J League will play Aukland City in the first match of the tournament on 10th December with the victors progressing to play TP Mazembe in the quarter-finals.
To build up a little bit of anticipation for the tournament we have put together a quick preview of the teams scheduled to compete in Japan.
Guangzhou Evergrande
After failing to live up to expectations at last year’s World Cup Luiz Felipe Scolari is steadily rebuilding his reputation in China.
The 67-year old guided Guangzhou Evergrande to their second AFC Champions League success when they beat Dubai based club Al Ahli over two legs last month.
As well as achieving continental success, Scolari’s side also won this year’s Chinese Super League.
The team is captained by former Charlton superstar Zheng Zhi and they have Brazilians Paulinho and Robinho on their roster.
Guangzhou Evergrande could also be a tough team to score against as Zeng Cheng was named as this year’s Chinese goalkeeper of the year.
TP Mazembe
The Congolese club won the CAF Champions League for the fourth time in their history as they beat USM Alger 4-1 on aggregate in the grand final in October.
Mazembe have been managed by former Lyon and Sunderland defender Patrice Carteron since 2013 and have won the Linafoot (the country’s top division) in four of the last five seasons.
They narrowly lost in the 2010 Club World Cup Final to Inter Milan and will certainly be hoping to go one better this time around.
Carteron’s side is completely made up of African nationals . Among them is 39-year old goalkeeper Robert Muteba who became a Youtube sensation during this year’s African Cup of Nations for unique celebrations whenever DR Congo scored!
Côte d’Ivoire’s Roger Assale, Tanzania striker Mbwana Samatta and Zambia midfielder Rainford Kalaba are also key players for TP Mazembe.
River Plate
River Plate were invited to this month’s championship after winning the 2015 Coppa Libertadores where they prevailed over Mexican club Tigres UANL 3-0 in the final.
Los Millonarios were led to their first Libertadores trophy in nine years by former Argentinian international Marcelo Gallardo.
It was a real indication of how far the club has come since their shock relegation to the second tier in 2011.
Gallardo took the managerial job at River Plate in June 2014 and had an instant impact by going unbeaten in his first 24 games.
However River Plate have since struggled and are currently sitting in 9th place in the Argentine Primera Division with just a handful of games left to play.
River Plate have a number of well known stars in their ranks including Javier Saviola, Rodrigo Mora, Lucho Gonzalez and goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero.
Auckland City
The New Zealand club romped to their fifth straight OFC Champions League triumph, beating Team Wellington on penalties in April’s final.
Auckland are managed by Spaniard Ramon Tribulietx and are captained by 39-year old Ivan Vicelich who has accumulated 89 caps for New Zealand.
Striker João Moreira is likely to be the side’s most dangerous player. The 29-year old represented Portugal’s under 21 side 20 times and has played for a host of teams in Europe including Valenica and Clube Desportivo Nacional.
24-year-old South African born Ryan De Vries is another exciting player to keep an eye on.
Barcelona
Without doubt the most recognizable team at this year’s championships is the star studded side of Barcelona.
Luis Enrique’s side won the Champions League with a 2-1 win over Juventus in May and cruised to the La Liga title last season.
They have continued their rich vain of form by opening up a four point lead at the top of La Liga this season and have huge list of world class players to call upon.
Barcelona will certainly go into the tournament as favorites and it is not hard to see why!
América
The Mexican side won their sixth CONCACAF Champions League title with a hard fought 2-1 victory over MLS team Montreal Impact.
América are Meixco’s most successful ever side and are currently managed by former international Ignacio Ambríz.
They play at Estadio Azteca which has a capacity of 95,500 making it the third largest football stadium in the world.
Las Águilas have a number of international players to call upon such as Mexicans Oribe Peralta, Moises Munoz and Paul Aguilar, USA defender Ventura Alvarado and Ecuador attacking midfielder Michael Arroyo.
J1 League Champions – TBC
The second leg of the J1 League final takes place between Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C. and Gamba Osaka on Saturday.
Sanfrecce won the first leg 3-2 away from home and will therefore fancy their chances of winning their third J1 League title in three seasons.
