How the Champions League final could derail England's bid for Uefa Nations League glory

England are still celebrating reaching the final four of Uefa's new tournament - but could Gareth Southgate be undermined?

Gareth Southgate is rightly revelling in the euphoria of England reaching the inaugural Uefa Nations League finals at the expense of Spain and Croatia, but actually lifting the trophy in Portugal next summer could prove far from straightforward – particularly if Premier League clubs enjoy a strong showing in Europe this season.

England will not know their opponents in the final four until the draw is made in Dublin on 3 December, but the dates for the matches themselves are already set: The two semi-finals will be played on 5 June and 6 June, with the final and third-place play-off to follow on 9 June.

The Champions League final will be played at Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on June 1, meaning that any English players involved in the game face a four-day turnaround and the prospect of three matches in just nine days.

Southgate’s most recent England squad to face USA and Croatia included five players from Tottenham, four from Manchester City and three each from Liverpool and Manchester United.

All four clubs are still currently in the Champions League, with City and United well placed to qualify from their groups but Liverpool and Spurs’ passage into the round of 16 far from assured.

City in particular are regarded as one of the favourites to win the competition, so Southgate could be sweating on the physical condition of Raheem Sterling, John Stones, Kyle Walker and Fabian Delph.

Sterling could be one of the players affected by the June fixture schedule crush (Getty)

All the key information on the Uefa Nations League final four is detailed below:

Who can still win the Uefa Nations League?

The four teams that have qualified for the competition’s final four are Portugal, Netherlands, Switzerland and England.

Where will the matches be played?

Portugal will host the semi-finals, third-place play-off and final, with Porto’s Estadio do Dragao and the Estadio D. Afonso Henriques in Guimaraes.

When will England find out their semi-final opponents?

The draw will be made in Dublin on 3 December, when match times and venues will also be confirmed.

What does the winner get?

They will lift a snazzy new trophy that looks a bit like an updated version of the old Uefa Cup. There is also significant prize money on offer:

€7.5m (£6.7m) for the winners

€6.5m (£5.8m) for the runners-up

€5.5m (£4.9m) for third place

€4.5m (£4m) for fourth place

Does the result have any bearing on qualifying for Euro 2020?

In short, no. The only consequence is that the four teams involved in the Nations League finals will be placed in five-team qualifying groups rather than six, purely for scheduling purposes.