The three key Nottingham Forest stars who are one caution away from Boxing Day ban

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Nottingham Forest are about to embark on a pivotal period in the 2024/25 campaign.

The Christmas fixtures are always ones to look forward to in England with the rest of Europe taking a hiatus at this time of the festivities.

Forest went fourth in the Premier League table on Saturday with a win over Aston Villa and things are looking very good indeed.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
4	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	16	8	4	4	21	19	2	28

Nuno Espirito Santo has been praised for his efforts this season and it does feel as though the club are firmly on the up.

With three tricky games to negotiate over Christmas, coming through them unscathed could tell supporters a lot about where the expectations can be with this group of players.

Pundits have already changed their minds on this season, with Gary Lineker apologising to Forest for his pre-season thoughts.

• READ MORE: Dave Watson hails one Nottingham Forest man for form this season

Three Nottingham Forest players one booking away from Boxing Day ban

This isn’t good news and Espirito Santo might be anxious going into this weekend’s trip to Brentford.

Neco Williams has only just been restored to the team but a caution on Saturday will see him missing for the Boxing Day game with Tottenham.

Perhaps the more pressing concern, however, is that two key midfielders are also close to suspension.

Captain Ryan Yates has been called an unsung hero this season and he along with Nicolas Dominguez are walking a tightrope.

Forest already have a number of injuries in the midfield engine room and losing Dominguez and Yates would be seriously detrimental.

Espirito Santo would be wise to recall James Ward-Prowse

Tottenham on Boxing Day is probably going to be a game where Espirito Santo wants to get Dominguez and Yates on the pitch in tandem.

The pair were brilliant against Aston Villa and as a result, it might be worth bringing in Ward-Prowse on Saturday.

It would be a risk as the on-loan West Ham player hasn’t played for so long but he is an experienced midfielder nonetheless.

Forest have to be savvy in this situation and hopefully Espirito Santo makes the right decision for this weekend’s game.