MARC CUCURELLA hopes his Chelsea revival will be rewarded with a 90-minute test against goal machine Erling Haaland.
Spain boss Luis de la Fuente names his squad on Friday for the Euro 2024 qualifying double header against Norway and Scotland.
Left-back Marc Cucurella hopes his Chelsea revival is matched for Spain as they launch their Euro 2024 qualifiers with two games in a weekGetty
Cucurella is getting back on track after finding it hard to adjust to life at Chelsea following a £62m move from Brighton last summer during which he endured personal problems.
The family home was robbed while his partner was expecting their third child and the full back was booed by his own supporters.
But daughter Bella was born safely two and a half weeks ago and that coincided with a huge upturn in the full back’s performance levels.
To the extent that he was voted Man of the Match in Chelsea’s exciting 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund last week that fired the club into the quarter finals of the Champions League.
And having been left out completely by boss Graham Potter recently, Cucurella has completed the last two matches, with Chelsea winning both.
Sources close to Cucurella insist the left back is much more settled now and that the huge transformation at Chelsea following the ownership change even affected the new players who signed last year.
The source added: “Marc is more motivated than ever now.”
Cucurella played at U-18, U-20 and U-23 level for Spain under de la Fuente.
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He also earned his only senior cap under him in June 2021 when head coach Vicente del Bosque missed a game through Covid.
De la Fuente has already made informal contact with Cucurella and his Chelsea team-mate and keeper Kepa to let them know he is impressed by their recent performances.
Spain play Norway on Saturday week when Manchester City’s 33-goal hitman Haaland will head to Malaga in blistering form.