This season is a significant one for Chelsea, as the club are back in the Champions League after two years. They have already started their campaign in the competition, with one win from two matches. They lost at the hands of Bayern Munich in the opener but managed to end a bad run of form with a win over Benfica in the following game.
Chelsea fans will certainly expect the club to go deep in the Champions League and, if possible, get their hands on the trophy for the third time in their history. For that to happen, the Blues will need to get past some of the best teams in Europe.
One highly anticipated fixture is the upcoming match between Chelsea and Barcelona at Stamford Bridge in November. The Blues’ defence will be tested against the likes of Lamine Yamal, who is considered one of the best young talents in the world and finished second in the Ballon d'Or race at just 18 years of age.
Meanwhile, The Sporting News have reported that Chelsea left-back and Yamal’s international teammate, Marc Cucurella, was recently asked whether he would go easy on the youngster. He jokingly replied:
"I won’t hold back there.
“The good thing is that there’s still a long way to go before the World Cup. If I knock him out, he’ll have plenty of time to recover!"
Marc Cucurella shares his plan to stop Lamine Yamal when Chelsea face Barcelona
Yamal recently finished second in the Ballon d'Or race but won the Kopa Trophy. At just 18 years of age, the winger is certainly turning heads with his performances. Chelsea will need to find a way to keep him quiet when the two sides meet.
Now coming back to Cucurella, the Blues defender has featured in all of Chelsea’s matches this season across all competitions. He has also provided two assists so far. Needless to say, the Spaniard is one of the most important players in Enzo Maresca’s squad.
Chelsea do have their own set of special talents as well, especially Estevao. The newly arrived Brazilian wonderkid has burst onto the scene with his recent performances and made headlines after scoring the winner against Liverpool in the Premier League. He will be one of the players to keep an eye on.
A lot of Chelsea players are currently away on international duty. They return to action on 18 October against Nottingham Forest and will look to maintain their winning run.