Two years ago, an injury-ravaged Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) looked forward to linking up with teammate Elling Holland.
Manchester City will play Inter Milan in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League final at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, on Nov. 11 at 4 a.m. ET.
After reaching the final two seasons ago, finishing runners-up to Chelsea, City will be looking to not only win the big one (Champions League trophy),안전놀이터 but also the first triple in the club’s history (Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League).
De Bruyne, who was brought to tears by an early injury two seasons ago, is in good form for his second attempt at the trophy, albeit not at the peak of his powers.
Speaking at the official pre-match press conference, De Bruyne said: “I’ve been at City for a long time. I’ve been here for eight years and I’ve had so many great moments,” he said, adding, “We now need to find a way to win our first Champions League.”
Now De Bruyne has a second chance to lift the trophy he so desperately wants: “It’s going to be huge for the players, the club and the fans,” he said, “We’ve worked hard to perform to the best of our ability. At home, we’ve won a lot of games and won a lot of trophies. I know how everyone plays and how they prepare to attack. We will try to do the same tomorrow.”
The difference from two years ago is that City now have a top striker in Elling Holland.
With 12 goals in 10 Champions League games this season, Holland is the league’s leading scorer this season. He is also making history by becoming the youngest player to score 35 league goals in just 27 games at the age of 22 years, 272 days.
When asked, “Did you fall in love with Holland at first sight?” De Bruyne responded with the wit of a married man: “No, I’m happy with my wife.” He joked, then added, “I’m happy with the players.
“There is a feeling with the players and I understand what he wants and react well, he scores at a great rate and settles in really easily,” he joked, adding, “Even in the last games he was important in different ways, he will be able to do what he does.”
Looking ahead to the final, De Bruyne added: “We know Inter Milan. They are compact and play a 5-3-2 system. They have two strikers who possess the ball well and use their running midfielders.” “They defend really well. There won’t be much space,” he said.
“We shouldn’t get nervous too quickly. We probably won’t have any chances early on. We have to play the way we play and try to get the first goal comfortably.”
