Manchester UnitedÂ’s John OÂ’Shea and Wayne Rooney are hoping for three points this Christmas against Sunderland, at the expense of a day at home with the family.
Sir Alex FergusonÂ’s players will be allowed the morning to spend with their families on Tuesday, but in the afternoon they will be expected at the training ground.
The United players will be monitored closely to ensure they do not over indulge on Christmas pud, as the title begins to hot up.
OÂ’Shea believes a smaller potion of Christmas dinner is a small price to pay though.
He told the clubÂ’s official television station, "You can have a small bit of Christmas dinner but not too much!
"The manager makes sure the players look after themselves and prepare for the Boxing Day match in a professional manner. So we canÂ’t enjoy Christmas Day perhaps as much as other people but thatÂ’s a small price to pay for playing at a club like United."
Rooney agrees with OÂ’Shea, as he does not see it as a chore, but as a pleasure.
He said, "You couldnÂ’t have as big a portion as everybody else but apart from that, it's still a normal Christmas dinner with your family.
"Then you have to leave for the hotel. I imagine that's harder for the older players with kids. But at the moment itÂ’s fine for me personally - IÂ’m just going out to play football which I love doing so IÂ’ve no problem with being away at Christmas."