Kevin De Bruyne has urged Manchester City to remain composed in their crucial Champions League showdown against Real Madrid, cautioning: “You don’t have to go crazy.”
Man City will host the reigning European champions at the Etihad on Tuesday night, looking to avenge last season’s quarter-final heartbreak, where they were eliminated on penalties.
De Bruyne, who scored a late winner to help Man City scrape past Leyton Orient and reach the FA Cup fifth round, remains unfazed by the high-stakes encounter.
However, he acknowledges that Man City have only themselves to blame for their current predicament, having underperformed in the group stage and now facing a difficult path to redemption.
He said: “I have played against Madrid in basically every round from the second to the semi-final in the last 10 years.
“We know why we play these games – because we didn’t do well enough before.
“That is it. At this level, it’s always (about) small margins.
“We know it’s a big game, the quality is there for both teams.
“It’s a two-legged tie so you don’t have to go crazy.”
The midfielder added: “Yes, but I have been here for 10 years so I probably played longer than a lot of players!
“Like Leyton Orient, I always try to respect the opponent, try to do my job.
“It doesn’t matter who we play. We just needed to take the game honestly.”
On his contract expiring in the summer, De Bruyne said: “There’s not a lot I can say because not a lot is happening.
“Of course, we are in a similar situation because we are probably about the same age, all three of us – Trent is maybe different – and we play for good teams.
“You wait for these moments and we try to control what you can control.
“But for the moment, there’s not a lot in it.”
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