time European champion Barcelona will take on the winner between Esperance and Al-Sadd in the semifinals of the Club World Cup in Yokohama on Dec. 15, according to a draw Thursday. South American champion Santos, the other semifinal seed, will face the winner between CONCACAF champion Monterrey and the side which survives the only first-round match, in Toyota on Dec. 14. The first round will pit Oceanian champion Auckland City against the J-League champion, representing host Japan, in Toyota on Dec. 8. The J-League title has been hotly contested by Kashiwa Reysol, Gamba Osaka and Nagoya Grampus, who are locked within three points with three rounds to go before the final day on Dec. 3. The two quarterfinal matches will be held in Toyota on Dec. 11. The final will be played Dec. 18 in Yokohama. FIFA anti-doping trials Lionel Messi and Neymar will take part in a new anti-doping program to trial a biological passport in football, FIFA said Thursday. All players set to be involved in the seven-team Club World Cup next month will give samples beforehand to help laboratories prepare their individual steroid profiles. Players then selected for anti-doping controls at the Dec. 8-18 tournament in Japan will have their results measured against out-of-competition tests taken up to one month earlier. Teams will have to provide details of their whereabouts for testers to collect samples.
