Following a narrow victory over Leyton Orient to advance to the FA Cup fifth round, Kevin De Bruyne urged Manchester City to remain calm ahead of their Champions League matchup with Real Madrid at the Etihad on Tuesday.
De Bruyne is confident, acknowledging that City’s own group stage errors have complicated their European path: “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 are aware that it’s a crucial game, and both teams have good players. There’s no need to go overboard because it’s a two-legged tie.
Yes, but I’ve been here for ten years, so I’ve probably played longer than many players,” he continued.
Like Leyton Orient, I always aim to give my best and show respect for the opposition. Who we play makes no difference.
All we had to do was play the game honestly.