Chelsea star makes feelings clear on Liverpool guard of honour as ambitions laid out

Marc Cucurella will line up with his Chelsea team-mates as they give Liverpool a guard of honour tomorrow, but he has his sights set on toppling Arne Slot's champions and hoisting the blue flag high at the top of the Premier League in the near future.

As the Reds' title festivities kick off at Stamford Bridge, Cucurella aims to dampen the celebration. Liverpool fans caused seismic activity at Anfield while celebrating their team's 20th title win, with data collected by scientists revealing s series of tremors.

But Spanish defender Cucurella warns that Chelsea are gearing up to deliver a shock of their own. As a strong Player of the Year candidate for the Blues, he said: "Hopefully we can have this (honour) as well in the next few years." He then acknowledged the Reds' accomplishments: "It's clear, they won the league and they deserve it because they are there all the season.

"If we need to do it (a guard of honour), we do it. But once the game starts, we go for our objectives - we try to fight with everything and fight for the three points. I don't think I have ever done this before - this is the first time - but hopefully we can have this as well in the next few years.

"It's what we are fighting for and what we are trying to do. It's a process. I think it's a good thing to have it, but it is even better if we do it and we win the game. Earlier in the season I remember at Anfield we played very good but they scored in the key moments."

The Spanish defender has gained popularity among Chelsea fans after a tough start to life at Stamford Bridge, who have even created a chant about his distinctive hairstyle and his alleged fondness of Estrella. When asked about the song, he jokingly revealed: "To be fair, I don't like Estrella, I don't like beer, I don't like wine. For me, as a Spanish person it's strange, but it's the truth... I only like vodka.

"I feel very proud because when I joined here it was tough. It was my first season and I tried to work hard, not say anything, work in silence. It was not easy, but now I feel very good and I feel very proud.

"Chelsea is in my heart now and joining Chelsea is a top experience. When you are a kid, you dream to play in these kinds of clubs. Then when I came here, there were a lot of changes, a lot of things that were a bit tough.

"But I know my qualities, my family believe in me, so I try to work hard every day, show my qualities in training and then, when I have the opportunity, I try to do it in the games. Now my team-mates and the staff give me a lot of confidence.

"When I joined this club I wanted to fight for trophies, fight for big things and after a tough season I think this one was a bit more regular. We showed our level, we started to create something important and now it's in our hands."

Chelsea have one foot firmly in the Europa Conference League final, while Nottingham Forest's unexpected defeat by Brentford gives Enzo Maresca's men renewed hope in their pursuit of a top-five league position.

With a potential final-day showdown looming between Chelsea and Forest at the City Ground for a spot in next season's Champions League, Cucurella remarked: "We are very ambitious on these things. Now it depends on us and we can show that we are ready and we deserve it.

"We train every day to prepare for playing these important games, reaching the finals and playing for a title. I believe we start to build something important."