Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella has joked he has prepared for his clash with Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal by forcing Estêvão to wear shin pads in training so he could practice against him.
Left-back Cucurella will be directly tasked with stopping Spain teammate Yamal when Chelsea host the Spanish champions at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Yamal, with four goals and four assists in his last seven games, has proven difficult to keep quiet in recent weeks, but Cucurella remarked in jest there could be one way to silence the youngster.
"I tell [Estêvão] to put shin pads on in training because I start the training with him," Cucurella laughed when asked how he would handle having to mark Yamal, who ranked second in the Ballon d'Or this year.
"But no, it's difficult. These kind of players are always difficult to play against because they have a special talent, a lot of quality.
"I think it's not Yamal vs. Cucurella -- it's a big game. My teammates will try to help me and we need to have a big game because we want to win. It's a tough battle, but hopefully we can do our best and win the match."
Estêvão, like Yamal, is also 18 and he has been compared to the Barça forward given their ages, their positions off the right of the attack and their style of play.
The two teenage prodigies are tipped to be among the best players in the world for the next decade and each of them will be looking to outdo the other in London this week.
Cucurella has played with them both and said the difference between them at the moment is that Yamal has already repeatedly demonstrated his ability in Europe, helping Spain win the European Championships and Barça the LaLiga title.
"I think both of them are really very special players," Cucurella said. "They have a lot of talent. They always want the ball. They always try to do one-on-ones. They are players [that] can decide games.
"I think the only difference at the moment is Lamine has been playing in Europe for two or three seasons and Estêvão is arriving this season -- but [Estêvão] is doing really well.
"If he continues in this way, at this level and improving in all aspects, he can arrive to the Lamine Yamal level."
Despite still managing a persistent groin injury, Yamal goes into Tuesday's game having scored six goals and provided seven assists in his 12 appearances for Barça this season.
Estêvão, meanwhile, has quickly found his feet in England since joining Chelsea from Palmeiras in the summer, scoring four goals in 16 games.
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Another player who plays alongside them both is Brazil and Barcelona attacker Raphinha, who is fit to face Chelsea after returning from a two-month injury layoff at the weekend.
"They are both at a spectacular level," Raphinha said of the duo. "In the coming years, they will be the best players in the world. I'm sure of that because I've worked with them both, for my club and with the national team.
"They are two tremendous talents and if they want to, they can go to the very top. They are on the right path. I'm always trying to help them, but their talent is very personal. What I can help with is more tactical, which is also the job of the coach. I don't need to tell them what to do, but I'm always trying to help with my experience.
"But yes, they are two talented players that are going to fly for many years to come."
The winners of Tuesday's game will take a huge step towards qualifying for the next phase of the Champions Leagues. Both teams are currently tied on seven points after four games, leaving them just outside the top eight place in the standings, which guarantee progression to the round-of-16.