Barça, in search of the title that eluded the Dream Team

BarcelonaIn a stadium where Pelé was crowned one of the best players in the world or where Philipp Lahm lifted the World Cup trophy against Leo Messi, Barça will be looking to win a title they haven't yet secured. Led by coach Juliano Belletti, the new manager of the reserve team and Youth League champion in April, a mix of players from Barça Atlètic and the Juvenil A team (all under twenty) will travel to Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday morning to play in the Intercontinental Cup final against Brazilian side Flamengo2 (Flamengo Brasil2). The trophy, now in its fourth edition, pits the Youth League champion against the winner of the U-20 Copa Sudamericana in a 90-minute match with no extra time.

A squad marked by absences

As many as thirteen players have been recalled by Belletti for the final four in Nyon. The coach will be without, among others, first-choice goalkeeper Áron Yaakobishvili (on loan to Andorra) and Barça's two top scorers in the competition, Hugo Alba (transferred to OFK Belgrade in the Serbian first division) and Arnau Pradas (new signing for Al-Wahda FC).

The first-team players under twenty years of age also did not travel, for logical reasons: Lamine Yamal, Marc Bernal, Pablo Cubarsí, Héctor Fort, Dro Fernández, Jofre Torrents, Toni Fernández, and Guille Fernández. Hansi Flick does not want to miss any of them for Saturday's match at Levante (9:30 p.m., Movistar LaLiga), especially when he is awaiting the registrations of Gerard Martín, Roony Bardghji, and Tek Szczęsny. However, Landry Farré, Jan Virgili, and Juan Hernández, three players who started preseason with the first team, will be traveling.

Barça secured their third Youth League title by beating Trabzonspor last April (4-1). Flamengo, meanwhile, prevailed on penalties against Palmeiras (1-1). The Brazilian side will be looking to continue making history—they are the first club to participate in the U-20 Intercontinental Cup on a repeat basis—and retain the title they won last year, when they beat Greek side Olympiacos in the final, also played at the Maracanã. Boca Juniors and Benfica are the other two champions of the competition.

A title that Cruyff's Barça lost.

This isn't the first time UEFA and CONMEBOL have organized a competition between their clubs. This tournament is reminiscent of the Intercontinental Cup, which was held between 1960 and 2004. In fact, it was the predecessor competition to the Club World Cup, which the Catalans have won three times (2009, 2011, and 2015). Barça has only participated once. That was in 1992, after winning their first Champions League title. However, Johan Cruyff's side lost 2-1 to Sao Paulo at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium. Now, Belletti's team will want to get even against another Brazilian side and lift a title that isn't in the Catalans' trophy cabinet.