It may have been a great week for English football, but England boss Gareth Southgate has been handed a nightmare scenario as a result of the success of Arsenal and Chelsea tonight (Thursday).
Following on from Liverpool and Tottenham both reaching the final of the Champions League, there will now be another all-English clash in the Europa League, after Arsenal and Chelsea progressed through to the final in Baku later this month.
The Gunners defeated Valencia 4-2 in the second leg tonight to go through 7-3 on aggregate, while Chelsea won on penalties against Eintracht Frankfurt to seal their spot in the final.
However, that could be a detriment to the national side as England boss Southgate faces a major issue with the scheduling of the finals, with the Champions League showdown in Madrid taking place just five days before the UEFA Nations League semi-final with Holland.
And the Europa League final takes place on Wednesday May 29th, just eight days before the Three Lions’ clash with Holland in Portugal.
When you counter in the celebrations of the winning teams, it means that representatives from Chelsea and Arsenal, along with Tottenham and Liverpool, could unite with Southgate’s squad at a much later date than what would have been wanted.
It is likely to be more of a concern with Chelsea, as Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ross Barkley were named in the most recent England squad, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek has also been a recent inclusion in the Three Lions squad.
What Arsenal's Petr Cech has said about facing Chelsea in Europa League final
Arsenal’s most recent England international, meanwhile, is forward Danny Welbeck, who has missed the vast majority of the campaign through injury. However, Ainsley Maitland-Niles has caught the eye this season and Rob Holding did too prior to his own injury issue.
Full dates for the Europa League and Champions League final, along with the UEFA Nations League fixtures, can be found below.
Do away goals count after extra-time? Europa League away goal rule explained
Key dates
Wednesday May 29th
Europa League final (20:00 BST)
Saturday June 1st
Champions League final, Tottenham v Liverpool (20:00 BST)
Wednesday June 5th
Portugal v Switzerland (19:45 BST)
Thursday June 6th
England v Holland (19:45 BST)
Sunday June 9th
UEFA Nations League third-place play-off (TBC)
UEFA Nations League final (TBC)
Europa League or bust for Arsenal as Stan Kroenke's ownership backs Unai Emery into a corner
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