The young Gers, led by Brian Gilmour, will kick-off their group campaign against Suwon United tomorrow before Aspire Academy on Monday.
The Light Blues are current holders of the prestigious trophy after taking the tournament by storm last year.
With changes to the competition, a younger age-group will travel for their first appearance in the cup.
The 12 teams competing, include Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG and Inter Milan.
Speaking ahead of the opening game, Brian Gilmour said: “We are certainly looking forward to it, the experience that we had last year fits in with what we are trying to achieve in the academy with the best v best situation.
“It was a good experience we had last year but even more exciting is that it is a year younger this year so it is a brand new squad with every single player coming here for the first time.”
Ahead of the two group games, the Academy coach had the chance to watch the Suwon United and Aspire Academy as they faced each other yesterday.
He continued: “The other game in our section will be kicking-off so I will have a look at that.
“We are really looking forward to it starting and getting a good handle on what we are going to be facing and we will be fully prepared to equip the players as best as we possibly can.”