City are the overwhelming favourites as they look to win the competition for the first time – and complete the treble – in Istanbul.
Kevin De Bruyne has insisted Manchester City will not prepare for Saturday’s Champions League final against Inter Milan.
City are overwhelming favorites as they look to win the competition for the first time – and complete the treble – in Istanbul.
Inter finished 18 points behind champions Napoli in Serie A this season, but De Bruyne is wary of the threat from Simone Inzaghi’s side.
The Belgian playmaker said: “You don’t get to the Champions League final without being on top.
“I think they won the (Cup) double in Italy. By the end of the season, they were winning pretty much every game.
“They have their system, they have their style, they do what they do really, really well and I don’t think anyone thought it would be an easy game against Inter.” It’s a final, so it starts 50-50.”
City have long coveted Champions League glory but have endured several near misses in recent seasons, the closest of which was a runner-up finish with Chelsea in 2021.
Their frustration contrasts with their domestic success, especially after five Premier League victories in the last six seasons.
Manager Pep Guardiola has acknowledged that City will need to translate their domestic success onto the European stage to be truly recognized among the big teams.
De Bruyne said: “I’ve been here for eight years and it’s been unbelievable. Could I come here and think about the amount of games and trophies we’re going to win in eight years? Probably not.
“At the end of the day we’ve had quite an impressive career at City but it’s something we haven’t won yet and it’s something we want to win. Hopefully it will be Saturday.
“We know how big the moment is, but I feel the more relaxed you are as a team, and the team is doing pretty well at the moment, the better chance you have.”
De Bruyne has painful memories, literally, of the last loss to Chelsea two years ago after suffering a serious facial injury following a second-half collision.
He said: “I don’t look at what happened two years ago with any bad feelings. You go on, you go on. After all, that’s football.
“Saturday is a great opportunity. It’s already been an incredible year. We can make it even better, but regardless, it was great.”
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