Germany international Bastian Schweinsteiger will not return to action until the start of the new year following recent surgery on a broken collarbone, his club Bayern Munich said on Thursday.

Bayern sporting director Christian Nerlinger said last week he hoped the midfielder would return before the start of the Bundesliga's winter break.

Barcelona set up a Club World Cup showdown with South American champion Santos by brushing aside Qatari club al-Sadd 4-0 Thursday in the semifinals.

Adriano scored two first-half goals to lead Barcelona, which will be returning to the Club World Cup final for the first time since 2009 when the team beat Argentine club Estudiantes. Seydou Keita and Maxwell added the others for the Champions League champions.

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has dismissed talk of his side's title chances as the Serie A's joint leader prepares to take on struggling Novara on Sunday.

Juventus, which was held to a 1-1 draw at Roma on Monday, is now level on 30 points with Udinese at the top of the standings.

Real Madrid is facing a tough test at fifth-place Sevilla on Saturday as it looks to rebound from another loss to Barcelona in the Spanish league.

A win at Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium would move Madrid three points ahead of Barcelona, which has already played its 16th round match so it can compete in the Club World Cup.

Albert Costa is stepping down as Spain's Davis Cup captain to become the coordinator of the Spanish federation's national teams.

After three years and two Davis Cup titles, Costa will now preside over the captains of Spain's Davis Cup, Fed Cup and Olympic teams.

The fastest man on legs is taking on the fastest on wheels for the top prize at the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Usain Bolt, who won two gold medals at the 2011 world championships, and Sebastian Vettel, who became Formula One's youngest two-time champion in November, are among the nominees for the 2012 honors.

Egypt's longtime national goalkeeper Nader el-Sayed had never been interested in politics. But when in January he joined hundreds of thousands in Cairo's Tahrir Square to demand regime change, he knew a new career was in the making.

The veteran player, who won more than 100 caps and was twice voted best goalkeeper in the African Cup of Nations, is standing for parliament in the first elections since a popular uprising ousted Hosni Mubarak after three decades of rule.

With the unofficial title of "winter champion" nearly secured before the visit of Cologne on Friday, Bayern Munich is uncharacteristically calm ahead of the year's last weekend of Bundesliga play.

Bayern is three points ahead of Borussia Dortmund and Schalke, and a vastly superior goal difference should ensure the top spot going into the league's four-week break.

Eliminated from the Champions League and with its unbeaten run in the Premier League over, Manchester City's mettle will be tested by in-form Arsenal on Sunday as the battle for the English title hots up this weekend.

City's defeat by Chelsea on Monday blew the title race open ahead of the traditional busy schedule of Christmas fixtures, with four teams now within nine points of the leaders.

Chris Paul will supply the Los Angeles Clippers with so much more than alley-oop passes to Blake Griffin when he arrives in Hollywood on Thursday night.

A bold trade for New Orleans' superstar point guard on Wednesday just might alter the entire sports world's perception of the Clippers. After managing just six winning seasons in their first 41 years of existence, the bumbling Clippers suddenly look slick and scintillating after swinging arguably the biggest trade in franchise history, giving them two of the NBA's elite players and a capable supporting cast.