Premier League clubs could lose some of their players for most of January as the Africa Cup of Nations gets underway in Equatorial Guinea.
It is that time of year again. No, not Christmas, but the Africa Cup of Nations when the continent’s best players take a working sabbatical from their everyday job in order to play for their countries.
From Newcastle to Swansea, West Ham to Manchester City, key Premier League players will be heading to Equatorial Guinea for a tournament which was fleetingly in doubt because of the Ebola crisis.
Original host Morocco felt unable to fulfil its obligations, which means a hastily-rearranged competition in Equatorial Guinea.
But which teams could suffer most while their superstars are strutting their stuff in Africa? And who will be getting away lightly while the party goes on without them?
See below who from the Premier League is likely to be heading off to the tournament, with the possibility of missing up to seven games for their club.
Crystal Palace
Yannick Bolasie (DR Congo), Adlene Guediora (Algeria)
Everton
Christian Atsu (Ghana)
Hull
Mohamed Diame (Senegal)
Leicester
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), Jeff Schlupp (Ghana)
Liverpool
Manchester City
Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast)
Newcastle
Mehdi Abeid (Algeria), Papiss Cisse (Senegal), Chieck Tiote (Ivory Coast)
Southampton
Emmanuel Mayuka (Zambia), Sadio Mane (Senegal)
Stoke
Mame Biram Diouf (Senegal)
Swansea
Wilfried Bony (Ivory Coast)
Kolo Toure (Ivory Coast)
Tottenham
Nabil Bentaleb (Algeria)
West Ham
Alex Song (Cameroon), Cheikhou Kouyate (Senegal), Diafra Sakho (Senegal)
West Brom
Youssouf Mulumbu (DR Congo)