Kevin De Bruyne Confident of Fitness Ahead of City Return
Kevin De Bruyne is optimistic about his fitness for Manchester City’s upcoming matches after an impressive performance in Belgium’s Nations League opener against Israel.
The Belgian midfielder scored twice and created numerous chances for his team, contributing significantly to their 3-1 victory. Despite playing a full 90 minutes, De Bruyne remains confident in his ability to continue performing at a high level.
De Bruyne scored twice in the Red Devils’ 3-1 win over Israel on Friday, taking his tally to 30 in 106 appearances since his international debut in 2010.
He contributed an expected goals (xG) of 1.64 to Belgium’s total of 3.53 and also made more final third passes (34) than any other player on the pitch.
Domenico Tedesco’s side travel to Lyon on Monday to take on France, who were beaten 3-1 by Italy in their Group A2 opener, with De Bruyne in line to start again.
The 33-year-old started the season with a goal and an assist in three Premier League games, both in City’s 4-1 win against Ipswich Town.
De Bruyne has also created 11 chances in English football’s top flight so far, a total surpassed only by Dwight McNeil (13) and Andreas Pereira (14).
But when asked if City manager Pep Guardiola would be happy with him playing back-to-back 90 minutes, De Bruyne said: “You’ll have to ask him!
“Well, as long as I feel good, it’s okay and it’s up to the coach to decide. After France, I have six days before the next match with City.”
Belgium will be looking to avenge their Euro 2024 defeat to Didier Deschamps’ side, having been knocked out at the last-16 stage by Jan Vertonghen’s late own goal.
After the Red Devils’ meeting with France, they will face Italy and Les Bleus again next month, concluding their group campaign against the Azzurri and Israel in November.
“When you play six group games, every game is important,” De Bruyne added. “We only have two days to rest and get ready. But the pressure will be on them now.”
Despite their victory over Israel on Friday, head coach Tedesco was left wanting more from his players ahead of their stern test against France.
“We started well and scored straight away, but after the goal we lost some of our self-confidence”, said Tedesco.
“Fortunately, we were sharper after the break, showed courage with vertical football and high pressure, in order to create quite a few chances again. That is a positive sign.”
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