As we look to carry forward the momentum gained from our hard-fought 1-0 victory over Benfica, the Spaniard emphasised that matches against the likes of Liverpool will not only test quality but also our character. And he views the fixture as an opportunity for the Blues to showcase our development and progression.

Liverpool have made an impressive start to the new campaign, with the 27-year-old acknowledging that a win on Saturday won’t be an easy feat, but he believes our squad is willing to fight and prove we can go toe-to-toe with the Reds.

‘We are ready to play these types of games,’ Marc stated, speaking after our win over the Portuguese side in the Champions League.

‘For sure, I think Liverpool deserved to win the league last season. This season, they have started really strongly, but I think the last few games we have played against Liverpool have been a fight.

‘We get to play at home, and we’ll be going for the three points because the last results in the Premier League have been a bit tough for us. We have a good opportunity to finish with a win before the international break.’

The left-back believes that our midweek victory can act as a springboard ahead of the weekend, pointing to the way the team defended as a unit and held firm late on against Benfica at the Bridge.

‘Against Benfica, we kept a clean sheet, we were fighting in the last minutes like a team and we showed a lot of character,’ our No.3 continued.

‘I think we are working hard. It’s true we need to learn and try not to concede these easy goals, and we need to keep improving. We have a lot of quality and a lot of talent, but we need to learn, as every game is a good opportunity to improve things.

‘It was very important for us to gain confidence, and the Benfica game helped us do that. It was our first game at home playing in the Champions League for the past two seasons, so it was very special. We need to create this environment on Saturday, and we’ll be going for the three points.’

Having now worked with Enzo Maresca for over a year, Cucurella believes that the Blues have benefited from the time on the training ground with the head coach but acknowledges there is still plenty of room to grow as a team.

‘I think we know the ideas from the manager better [now],’ the Spaniard explained.

‘Some things we have been working on for a long time, but also I think we have new players, we only had half a pre-season this year, and we need time together. It’s not an excuse. We have the quality and the talent. It’s a long journey, we’re just at the beginning and we need to keep going. Let's see where we finish at the end of the season.’