FA make 'big six' Premier League fixtures request that could impact Nottingham Forest

The FA have reportedly requested that no Premier League fixtures between 'big six' clubs be scheduled for the weekend before the World Cup starts.

Forest are preparing for their first season back in the Premier League for 23 years after beating Huddersfield Town in the Championship play-off final.

The Reds will receive their schedule for the season at 9 am on Thursday, June 16, and they could avoid a difficult winter period if Gareth Southgate's plan is successful.

According to ESPN, Southgate is concerned about the short time-frame between the pause in the Premier League season and the first round of World Cup fixtures in Qatar. England take on Iran in Doha on the opening day of the tournament on November 21.

A final round of fixtures will be played on November 12 to 13, meaning just eight days of preparation for the England squad.

ESPN claim that the FA have requested for no Premier League matches between Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham take place on that weekend.

Of the England squad named for fixtures in June against Hungary, Germany and Italy, a total of 14 from the 27-man squad were from 'big six' clubs.

The risk of injuries ahead of a major competition is a concern for Southgate having once experienced the loss of Joe Gomez right before a round of international fixtures, an occurrence he put down to fixture congestion.

He said: "I spoke about this right at the beginning of the season. With Joe [we have] a good example.

"We knew the load he has had in the last six weeks or so. We gave him and the other players who had been in European matches who played Sunday, an extra day's recovery. Yet still something like this has happened. There are lots of discussions about