These 30 Premier League footballers are just one festive booking away from Christmas off

Christmas can be a difficult time of year for footballers, who often have to train on Christmas Day or even stay in a hotel away from their families.

But there is one way to get Christmas day off as a baller, and it doesn’t involve pulling a sickie either.

Here are the players who could just earn themselves a lie-in with a soft booking here or there.

Jingle bells, jingle bells, West Brom lead the way

West Brom have four players on the cusp of the naughty list: Claudio Yacob, James McClean, Jonny Evans and Allan-Romeo Nyom.

Furthermore, with an away day at Stoke on Saturday, a smattering of bookings certainly wouldn’t come as a surprise in what has been fondly described as the Tony Pulis derby in recent years.

Stars at the top of the tree

For United, Ander Herrera, Marcos Rojo and Ashley Young, and for City, Vincent Kompany, Fernandinho and Leroy Sane.

Meanwhile, Friday’s evening fixture in the race for a Champions League place sees Arsenal and Liverpool go head to head at the Emirates Stadium, with Dejan Lovren, Alexis Sanchez and Granit Xhaka all on four yellows.

The best of the rest

Meanwhile, here are the remaining 17 players whose Christmas plans are yet to be finalised. How many of these won’t be donning their boots on Boxing Day?

Bournemouth: Harry Arter, Steve Cook, Simon Francis
Burnley: Jack Cork, Phil Bardsley
Brighton: Anthony Knockaert, Lewis Dunk, Glenn Murray
Chelsea: Antonio Rudiger
Crystal Palace: Jason Puncheon
Everton: Ashley Williams, Idrissa Gueye
Huddersfield: Tom Smith
Stoke: Joe Allen, Kevin Wimmer
Tottenham: Harry Kane, Jan Vertonghen

Only a scrooge would begrudge them the day off, surely?