Barcelona are all set to kick-off their quest for a third Club World Cup title.

The team standing in their way of a place in Sunday's final are Guangzhou Evergrande, the team that, against the odds, sent Mexico's Club America crashing out of the competition. That, coupled with the fact that 'Big Phil' Scolari coaches them and there are several Brazilians in the squad, amongst them Robinho, is cause to sit up and take notice. Barcelona are still favourites, even without Neymar. However, let's not forget that the Catalan giants have historically struggled at the semi-final stage of this tournament.

In any case, there is always one thing that tips the scales: Messi. The Argentine goes into the competition eager to lift his fifth title of 2015. Messi wants to warm up against Guangzhou before facing his fellow countrymen from River Plate, the team awaiting them in the final.

This morning, the Argentine will be unable to partner Neymar like he usually does. The Brazilian's absence is one of the things that Luis Enrique needs to sort out ahead of the game.

To date, he has alternated Sandro and Munir to cover injuries up front, but in big games, or any fixtures that go above and beyond the realms of normality, the Barca boss has sought out more creative alternatives. Against Real Madrid and BATE in the Champions League, that solution was Sergio Roberto. That's another option.