Following Thursday evening’s UEFA Conference League victory away at Panathinaikos, Chelsea are back in Premier League action this afternoon as we host Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge.

Cucurella put in another assured performance for the Blues in that 4-1 win in Athens, continuing an excellent start to this season by the full-back after an impressive showing in his country’s Euro 2024 triumph over the summer.

And when asked what has prompted his run of good form in recent months, the left-back said there is no big secret, it is just down to hard work and increased confidence.

‘I’ve tried to work on me,' explained Cucurella. 'I know I can do better and I try to do my best for the team. I always give everything on the pitch for the team to try to win, and I think the fans started to see this kind of effort, so I’m really happy.

‘I haven’t changed anything special but I try to understand everything a little bit better. I try to work on myself, on my confidence. It’s part of football as well, if you feel confident and you believe in yourself it’s much easier.

‘I think it’s the most difficult part of football because you play bad you feel like you are the worst player and if you play good you feel you are the best. But you need to stay in the middle, focus on what you can improve and try to build on this – and always push yourself.

‘If you play for Chelsea it’s because you have some good qualities. In every career you have better moments and worse moments, the important thing is not to stop working and believe in yourself.’

The Blues are back at the Bridge in the Premier League this afternoon, with Newcastle the visitors. It represents a quick turnaround from Thursday’s trip to Greece in the Conference League.

Alternating between league weekends and European midweek fixtures is a situation Chelsea are adapting to this season. There is also the Carabao Cup, which will see the Blues travel to Newcastle next week, and the FA Cup enters the mix in January.

However, Cucurella views the wealth of fixtures and competitions as a plus for the team, with further opportunity to share the playing time around the squad and more silverware to aim for, even if one target remains clear going into Sunday’s Premier League tie.

‘Sometimes it is difficult, but I think we are doing good,’ added Marc. ‘The team is playing very well and is building in this moment. We have confidence and we will keep going in this way.

‘I think we are in a good way, the manager gives us a lot of confidence. The team has a lot of games, all the players can play one of the games. We have started to create something important so we need to keep going.

‘We need to continue in this way. We play in a lot of competitions this year so we try to win trophies. I think all of us believe we can win trophies.

‘Maybe in the league, it is difficult. We have teams that stay in the same project for a long time, so I think a few teams are in front of us, and for sure the objective is to play in the Champions League next season.’