38 Premier League players will miss Boxing Day fixtures if they pick up a yellow card this weekend

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 03: Lisandro Martinez of Manchester United is shown a yellow card from referee Robert Jones after a foul on Cole Palmer of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Chelsea FC at Old Trafford on November 03, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Suspension looms for 38 Premier League players (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Premier League festive fixtures are coming thick and fast and there’s a long list of players at risk of watching their teams’ Boxing Day games from the stands after an indulgent Christmas Day.

Premier League players who get five yellow cards in the first 19 games serve a one-match suspension. With a full programme of fixtures scheduled across Saturday and Sunday, no fewer than 38 players are on four bookings.

Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Rayan Ait-Nouri is also on four bookings but will be eligible for their Boxing Day game against Manchester United after serving a suspension this weekend.

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Darwin Nunez of Liverpool celebrating after scoring the third goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield on September 21, 2024 in Liverpool, England.

Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is one booking away from a ban (Image credit: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Yellow cards this weekend could have a big impact on subsequent festive fixtures at the top of the Premier League, where leaders Liverpool will have three players walking a disciplinary tightrope if they feature against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Ryan Gravenberch, Ibrahima Konate and Darwin Nunez are all on four yellow cards. Konate has sat out the whole of December with a knee injury but Gravenberch has only missed 23 minutes of Premier League football this season.

Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy

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Chelsea need to avoid bookings at both ends of the pitch when they play Everton on Saturday. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and striker Nicolas Jackson are each a yellow card away from a one-match ban.

Arsenal visit Crystal Palace on Saturday with the threat of suspension hanging over Gabriel Jesus, who scored a hat-trick against the Eagles in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

Other players on the brink of a ban include Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, Justin Kluivert of Bournemouth, Manchester United defender Harry Maguire and Bernardo Silva of Manchester City.

Fourth-placed Nottingham Forest would be without Nicolas Dominguez, Neco Williams and Ryan Yates against Spurs on Boxing Day should they collect a fifth yellow card at Brentford on Saturday.

West Ham United are top of the Christmas naughty list with five players – Edson Alvarez, Lucas Paqueta, Guido Rodriguez, Carlos Soler and Tomas Soucek – on four yellow cards. The Hammers play Brighton at home on Saturday and Southampton away on Boxing Day.

There are four Leicester City players in the same position before Ruud van Nistelrooy and the Foxes prepare to face Wolves and Liverpool in their next two games. Jordan Ayew, Wilfred Ndidi, Oliver Skipp and Jamie Vardy have four bookings apiece to their names.

Here’s the full list of players at risk of a Boxing Day suspension.

Keep your eyes peeled for a cheap yellow for one of these this weekend.

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Player Club
Gabriel Jesus Arsenal
Morgan Rogers Aston Villa
Justin Kluivert Bournemouth
Lewis Cook Bournemouth
Marcos Senesi Bournemouth
Jan Paul van Hecke Brighton
Lewis Dunk Brighton
Nicolas Jackson Chelsea
Robert Sánchez Chelsea
Jefferson Lerma Crystal Palace
Ashley Young Everton
Michael Keane Everton
Sam Morsy Ipswich Town
Jamie Vardy Leicester City
Jordan Ayew Leicester City
Oliver Skipp Leicester City
Wilfred Ndidi Leicester City
Darwin Nunez Liverpool
Ibrahima Konate Liverpool
Ryan Gravenberch Liverpool
Bernardo Silva Manchester City
Harry Maguire Manchester United
Fabian Schar Newcastle United
Sandro Tonali Newcastle United
Neco Williams Nottingham Forest
Nicolas Domínguez Nottingham Forest
Ryan Yates Nottingham Forest
Adam Armstrong Southampton
Adam Lallana Southampton
Mateus Fernandes Southampton
Micky van de Ven Tottenham Hotspur
Carlos Soler West Ham United
Edson Alvarez West Ham United
Guido Rodriguez West Ham United
Lucas Paqueta West Ham United
Tomas Soucek West Ham United
Mario Lemina Wolverhampton Wanderers
Rayan Ait-Nouri Wolverhampton Wanderers
Toti Gomes Wolverhampton Wanderers

Chris is a Warwickshire-based freelance football writer specialising in West Midlands football, the Premier League, the EFL and the J.League. He is the author of the High Protein Beef Paste football newsletter and owner of Aston Villa Review. He supports Coventry Sphinx.