De Bruyne: 'Only strong teams can reach the Champions League final'

Turkey midfielder Kevin De Bruyne warned Man City not to underestimate Inter in the final.

"You can't reach the Champions League final if you're not a strong team," De Bruyne told Italian newspaper Gazzetta on June 9. "At the end of the season, Inter won the Italian Cup and won almost all their matches. They have a very clear personality and a very defined style of play."

At Ataturk Stadium, Istanbul today, Man City will face Inter in the final. According to De Bruyne, to beat the Italian team, Man City need to score more goals and defend better. He also advised his teammates to play as they know, instead of changing according to each opponent.

De Bruyne celebrates scoring the equalizer for Man City in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Real on May 9. Photo: Reuters

According to bookmaker Ladbrokes, Man City are 2/5 to win after 90 minutes. Meanwhile, the odds for Inter are 7/1. However, according to De Bruyne, Man City should not go into the match with the pressure of having to win. "We know this is a very important game, but the more relaxed we are, the easier everything will be," De Bruyne added.

In the final, De Bruyne will be reunited with his Belgium team-mate Romelu Lukaku. He considers Lukaku one of his closest friends in football. The two players have known each other since they were 13 and have always played alongside each other at Belgium level. "It's just a game. After that, we'll be friends again and we'll see each other on the national team next week," said the Man City midfielder.

This season, Man City have won the Premier League and the FA Cup. If they beat Inter, they will become the second English team to win the treble, after Man Utd in 1998-1999. Other clubs to have won the treble include Barca in 2008-2009, 2014-2015, Bayern in 2012-2013, 2019-2020, Inter in 2009-2010, Celtic in 1966-1967, Ajax in 1971-1972 and PSV in 1987-1988.

Man City will be playing in their second European Cup/Champions League final. The first, in 2021, saw them lose 1-0 to Chelsea. Meanwhile, Inter have won three titles. The Italians lost two finals, to Celtic in 1967 and Ajax in 1972.

Thanh Quy (according to Gazzetta )

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