'Rivals' - Marc Cucurella shares what Lamine Yamal told him ahead of Chelsea vs Barcelona | OneFootball

Marc Cucurella joked about Lamine Yamal's absence for Spain during the international break and shared the conversation they had ahead of the Champions League clash between Chelsea and Barcelona.

Yamal is arguably Barcelona's best player at the moment, and he plays on the right flank.

When Chelsea host Barcelona at Stamford Bridge for a Champions League match on November 25, it is likely going to be on Cucurella as Chelsea's first-choice left-back to defend against the teenager.

The pair are also both in the Spain national team and have often faced each other in training.

Cucurella jokingly argued that this is partly the reason why Yamal has withdrawn from the national team for the November international break.

IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

"I think he left the training camp because I told him how I would start doing my homework here in training (ahead of the Champions League match)," Cucurella told Sport recently, smiling, when speaking about Yamal's absence.

"No, we didn't have much time. He told me that from then on, we would be rivals.

"It will be a great match and a good test for us too. We're really looking forward to it."

Obviously, Yamal missed out on international duty because of a groin injury that has bothered him for quite some time.

Cucurella added that he could sympathise with Yamal's struggles because some of his Chelsea teammates, such as Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto, are struggling with groin issues as well.

IMAGO / Photo Players

"It's a complicated issue," he explained.

"It won't be easy for him; many players and many of my teammates (at Chelsea) have groin pain.

"We're going to miss him; he's a very important part of our team. The most important thing is that he recovers because we have a great year ahead of us."

Chelsea will make the trip to Burnley's Turf Moor on Saturday, November 22, after the international break, before returning to London to face Barcelona the following Tuesday.

Just a few days after, Chelsea will then host Arsenal on Sunday, November 30, so on paper, it would be quite a week for Enzo Maresca's side.