Why Man Utd winning the Champions League would be a nightmare for Gareth Southgate

GARETH SOUTHGATE will be selfishly hoping that an English club does not reach this year's Champions League final.

The England boss, 48, will be aware that this would damage his team's chances of winning the Nations League.

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Jose Mourinho's United side stand a good chance of qualifying for the knockout stages after this month's 2-1 win over Juventus.

Manchester City are within touching distance of the next round after the 6-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk.

Liverpool are still on track qualify despite a 2-0 defeat to Red Star, but Tottenham face an uphill battle in the "group of death".

And Southgate will be keeping a close eye on the next set of fixtures after England's huge 2-1 win over Croatia.

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Victory at Wembley secured England's spot in the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League.

This match will take place on 5 June - which is just FOUR days after the Champions League final.

The Champions League final will take place in Madrid, so the Three Lions stars would have board a flight to Portugal almost immediately after.

In the space of nine days, the players could face a Champions League final, a Nations League semi-final and the Nations League final.

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The four Premier League clubs in the Champions League are packed with England internationals, which will be a concern for Southgate.

Tottenham have the likes of Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Kieran Tripper and captain Harry Kane.

Stars from Liverpool include Jordan Henderson, Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Adam Lallana.

Kyle Walker, Raheem Sterling, John Stones and Fabian Delph play for Manchester City at club level.

And Manchester United stars Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Luke Shaw are also expected to make the squad.

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Southgate will know that the busy schedule for his team could damage their chances of winning the tournament.

There will be no time for rest, which is exactly what Raheem Sterling and Lingard wanted after the win over Croatia.

The England duo jetted off on holiday to Dubai and Paris respectively for some well-earned rest ahead of the busy festive period.

But Mourinho will not consider Southgate's feelings when his team look to secure the trophy for the fourth time.

And the United boss is amid an injury crisis following the international break, which has seen Paul Pogba and Rashford return to the treatment room.

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