Marc Cucurella: Why Chelsea will be underdogs against Champions League opponents | OneFootball

Marc Cucurella believes Chelsea will be the underdogs when facing Barcelona in the Champions League next month.

After a tough defeat to Bayern Munich in the first match since their return to the Champions League, Chelsea bounced back with a win against Benfica.

It is a much-needed win, of course, but Chelsea are still among over a dozen teams with three points after two games in the middle of the table of the league phase of the competition.

There are six more games in the league phase for each team, so the door to the knock-out stages is still wide open.

IMAGO / Ball Raw Images

Still, Chelsea will face tough opponents to get there, including Barcelona.

Being a Barcelona academy La Masia graduate, Cucurella was specifically asked about the upcoming clash between Chelsea and Barcelona on November 25.

"It will be a great match," the defender said in Wednesday's press conference for the Spain national team.

"I haven't played against Barça in many years. Everyone is asking me for tickets, and there are still a couple of months to go.

"The Champions League is a special competition: the atmosphere, the day, everything. Hopefully, we can win."

IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Interestingly, Cucurella said that Barcelona have a slight edge over his team heading into the match.

"I think Barca are slight favourites," he admitted. "We haven't played in the Champions League for a few years, we have a young team.

"I'm the second most experienced player and that shows in important moments.

"Barca have more experience, more Champions League games, and more composure in tight situations. But anything can happen in a match."

It is a long way to go before Chelsea need to shift their attention to the Catalan side, however.

The Blues are going to face Ajax and Qarabag FK on October 22 and November 5, respectively, in the Champions League before hosting Barcelona at Stamford Bridge in late November.