'I can't injure him!' - Marc Cucurella jokes about 'special' Lamine Yamal clash in Champions League as Chelsea star names Barcelona sensation 'the hardest to stop'

Cucurella opened up on the prospect of facing Yamal in the Champions League when Chelsea take on Barcelona, with the full-back claiming the youngster is "the hardest to stop." The former Barca defender also joked that he "can't injure Yamal", as doing so would see him getting axed from the national team setup.

Cucurella and Yamal have been two of the pillars of the Spanish national team in the Luis de la Fuente era. The duo have cemented their spots in the starting lineup and were part of the team that won the 2024 European Championship and finished runners-up in the Nations League over the summer. The two players will, however, face each other as opponents for the first time in their careers. Indeed, Chelsea and Barcelona have been drawn to lock horns in the first phase of this season's Champions League, with the game set to be played on November 25 at Stamford Bridge. It will be the first time the two sides will meet in the competition since the 2017-18 season.

Speaking to reporters after Spain's 3-0 win on Thursday, Cucurella opened up on his thoughts about facing his former team. He said: “We'll have to play in the Champions League. It'll be a beautiful and special match, and I hope it's a tough one for them. We're playing at home, and that's always a plus.

"He’s the hardest winger to stop. He’s a very skilful player; you never know what he’s going to do to you. It’ll be a tough match, but I’ll try to make things as difficult as possible for him," before jokingly saying, "I can’t injure him either, because otherwise I won’t be able to come back to the national team."

La Roja have as many as six Barca players in the squad, overwhelmingly outnumbering the Chelsea representation given Cucurella is the only Blues player. "They're already saying we're going to have to face each other; they say they're going to beat us," the 27-year-old revealed. "I know we're going to make things difficult for them. For me, it'll be a special match; we're also playing at home, and I think it will be very nice."

De la Fuente's men continued their unbeaten run in the ongoing World Cup qualifiers on Thursday, but face a tough opponent in their next game. Spain will travel to Turkey on Sunday in their final game of this international break.