Carlos Tevez is set to make his first appearance for Argentina in three years Wednesday when the team plays Croatia in an international friendly.

Back in 2010, Tevez was arguably the best Argentina player in the World Cup. He scored goals in astounding fashion and was dominant for the team before its 4-0 loss against Germany.

But there were many rumors that he did not get on well with Lionel Messi, and he was subsequently dropped from the team in 2011.

But now he is back, thanks to a call from Gerardo Martino, who simply could not ignore the in-form striker. And now it will be the manager's job to figure out a way to strike some balance between his captain and the often abrasive striker.

Argentina has some other concerns to deal with, primarily regarding Messi. The team dominated Germany 4-2 in an international friendly without the Barcelona man on the pitch. When he returned in Argentina's game against Brazil, the superstar was a non-entity as the team lost 2-0. Argentina recovered to thrash Hong Kong 7-0 in its ensuing game, but the competition was really not much to speak of.

Messi has not been at his best over the last few weeks. He did score a brace for Barcelona as the team defeated Ajax 2-0 in the Champions League, but followed that game with his worst performance of the year against Almeria.

He has never been particularly great for Argentina (barring the three group games of the past World Cup) and the team has, for a time, looked better without him leading the way. When Messi is on the pitch, it is easy for any team to try and rely on him to carry the weight. But without him, other players are forced to take up the responsibility. Everyone saw how Angel Di Maria took charge in the 4-2 win over Germany in the recent friendly when Messi was not able to play.

Martino coached Messi in Barcelona last season and was unable to get the best out of his superstar. Now he has to figure out a way to make the relationship work on an international level, and with Messi's former adversary in Tevez.

On the other side of the pitch is a Croatia side that is still looking to regain some respectability after a woeful World Cup showing.

After losing two of three games in Brazil, Niko Kovac's team has not conceded a goal in four games. It will be interesting to see how he approaches this game, especially with a vital Euro qualifying game against Italy upcoming.

"Argentina is a challenge for the players who will travel," Kovac said according to Goal.com. "We will see who can stand Argentina, who can come closer to the national team. If Argentina isn't a motivation for every player, he is thinking wrongly.

"I'm sure we can get a good result, and most players have already been with us. I wouldn't call the reserve team."

The two sides have met on three previous occasion and have managed one win, one loss and one draw in those meetings.

Schedule, How to Watch

The game starts at 2:30 p.m. and can be viewed on beinSports. Live streaming of the match can be seen here.

Predictions

Argentina wins 2-0 with a goal from Messi and another from Tevez.