It will be the battle of the best in Europe and in South America as Barcelona take on River Plate this Sunday at the International Stadium Yokohama for the championship game of the 2015 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Club World Cup.
To advance, Barcelona defeated Guangzhou Evergrande in the semi-finals and were led by Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez who completed a hat trick for them to secure a 3–0 shutout victory.
Suárez emerged for Barca, with his fellow star strikers Lionel Messi and Neymar not being featured in the game.
According to Bleacher Report, Messi had a renal colic (pain caused by kidney stones) while Neymar was on the bench and did not play.
Despite the powerhouse Blaugrana is, Suárez still expects a great match with River and told Spanish newspaper AS, "There will be rivalry with River in the final."
The 28-year-old striker added, "They are one of the biggest clubs in South America. It will be a nice final and spectacular to watch and hopefully we can bring the Club World Cup home."
Barcelona, even without Messi and Neymar in the final game of the tournament, are expected to come out as victors and if Suárez would be the only one present for the striking trio, they are still favored to bag home the trophy.
Meanwhile, River set their showdown with the European giants after edging Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the semi-finals, 1–0.
A second half goal by forward Lucas Alario, who found the net with a header, helped seal the win for the Copa Libertadores champions.
Sanfrecce had chances to gain the advantage and score a goal in the first half of the semi-finals match versus River but were unable to succeed which later led to their elimination.
The final game of the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup between Barcelona and River Plate will take place on Sunday, Dec. 20, at 6:30 a.m. EST. To watch via live stream, click here.
