Barcelona and Estudiantes start the dream of the World Championship of Clubs (Yahoo)

Next Tuesday, in the Zayed Sport City of Abu Dhabi, Estudiantes de La Plata, Southamerican Champion will finally have his debut in the first semifinal of the World Championship of Clubs, that for the first time changes the headquarters since the Intercontinental Cup that has moved to Japan in 1980 and everything points to a final with the considerable best team of the World , the Barcelona that will confront on the next day their match for the same instance as the Argentinean team.

In spite being the Barcelona considered an ample favorite, the European team and Estudiantes go through some similar situations as the fact that two promotional figures of the championship are two Argentinean countrymen, Lionel Messi and Juan Sebastian Veron, both integrants, paradoxically, of the national team in crisis due to bad performances.

It is also similar that Messi (omni present in the United Arabian Emirates on the wall of buildings, posters and television advertising) come injured and with many doubts as to whether he will be able to take part in the best form in the contest, meanwhile Estudiantes will not be able to count with Jose Sosa, a creative player born in the club whose transfer belongs to Bayern Munich but his loan went under proceedings before FIFA arriving to the instance that needs for it a help of the president of the Argentinean Federation (AFA), Julio Grondona, first vice-president of the FIFA, but even in that way his participation was not obtained.

Sosa, who made a trip to Abu Dhabi and who has chances to play on behalf of Estudiantes the next six months, is under study by Diego Maradona to be convoked for the Argentinean team and he was companion of Messi in the World Championship sub-20 in Holland 2005 won by white-light blue

Estudiantes, in spite of not having so many Argentinean titles (four), in change they already know the International projection in the sixties when they obtained three Copa Libertadores de America and one International brought by the hand of Carlos Bilardo, Argentinean coach, World Champion l986) and Juan Ramon Veron, father of the midfielder and captain of the Argentinean team.

Their coach and ex player Alejandro Sabella (Argentinean bi champion in 1982 and 1983) know well that they ought not to jump the steps and that is why he contradicted the press of his country that has already stated about the possible final with the Barcelona citing that already in the definition of 2008 Liga Deportiva of Equator made more force than the expected, nothing less but the powerful Manchester United with whom they lost 1-0 in the final, and Boca Juniors had to make a great effort to eliminate in the semifinal the Etoile of Tunisia in the semifinal of World Championship 2007.

That is why his not so confident about the match against the South Korean of Pohang Steelers FC, Asiatic championship that eliminated very well, in quarter of final, the Congo TP Mezenbe 2-1, reverting a match that seemed complicated from the goal of Beni and that they had to win by more, but except the Brazilian Denilson, who converted two goals, the rest of his players could not avail of the occasions of converting a goal.

Denilson, a forwarder of 33 years of age, that already knows Arabian football having played in three teams, Al Shaab, Dubai FC and Al Nasr, appears as the biggest menace for Estudiantes in the match of next Tuesday, integrating a team with four players of the Korean national team that will play a friendly match in January vs Finland (two defenders Kim Hyun Gil, Choi Hyo Jin, the midfielder Kun Jae Sung and the forwarder Wo Byun Jun) and that should confront Argentina the next Southafrican World Championship.

For the other semifinal, there is no doubt that the Barcelona is an ample favorite and it is enough to remember the antecedents of their former participation 2006, at the semifinals against Mexican America (a rival not so easy) by a firm 4-0, though afterwards they fall in the final vs the Brazilian of Inter of Porto Alegre.

Barcelona will have to confront on Wednesday the Atlante of Mexico so in some way the situation of 2006 is repeated in which they also had to play vs a team of the same nationality.

The Atlante won clearly by 3-0 over Auckland City of New Zealand showing a football of classic Mexican style, touching the ball, slow and with short passes and good dominion of the ball and with goals of Arreola, Bermúdez and Silva and the difference could be major. So much that the Argentinean goalkeeper Federico Vilar, its great figure, had not too many occasions to exhibit himself. But there appeared good figures in Christian Bermúdez and Rafa Márquez (homonym of his countryman, defender of Barcelona in the attack, with the Argentine Santiago Solari.

None of them want to say it before passing the semifinal, but all expect a classic and Latin final: Barcelona and Estudiantes.