De Bruyne claims CL final is a ’50/50′ game and insists Inter Milan clash ‘won’t define’ Man City | OneFootball

Kevin De Bruyne has played down suggestions that Man City are the favourites heading into Saturday evening’s Champions League final against Inter Milan.

Man City are well fancied to beat the Serie A giants this weekend in Istanbul. If they do, they will become the first English club to win all three major trophies in a single campaign since Manchester United managed this feat in 1999.

They moved a step closer last Saturday by adding the FA Cup to the Premier League title already won. Ilkay Gundogan’s two volleys helped Pep Guardiola’s side to a 2-1 victory against local rivals Man Utd at Wembley.

Until now Guardiola and his players have largely sidestepped any talk of matching their city rivals’ feat of 24 years ago.

But after the cup final victory, De Bruyne acknowledged how close he and his team-mates were to a remarkable achievement, yet stopped short of saying they were favourites to beat Inter.

“There was belief anyway but there was no point talking about it before,” he said. “We know now. I want to win the Champions League and I want to win the treble but we were getting ready to win this game (against United).

“We deserved to win. I am very happy and very proud. We should enjoy next week and hopefully we can perform the best we can.

“Inter are a very good team. Finals are 50-50. We were favourites today. It is always difficult. You have to manage these moments. There will be moments when it is tough but in the big moments we try to do our job.

“Inter have great players and we have respect for them. They haven’t got to the final by beating easy teams.”

De Bruyne will be looking to exorcise personal demons from the last time he played in a Champions League final, fracturing an eye socket and breaking his nose as Man City went down 1-0 against Chelsea in an all-Premier League final in Porto.

“That is football,” he said. “I have never broken anything in my life and I come out of the Champions League final with a broken nose, a broken eye socket and a concussion.

“It happens. There is nothing more I can do. I wished it was better but it wasn’t.”

Guardiola’s team were knocked out in the last four by Real Madrid last season despite holding a two-goal aggregate lead going into the final moments of the second leg.

The Champions League is the only major honour that still eludes the club, with Guardiola not having lifted the trophy since his second triumph with Barcelona in 2011.

Asked if he believed City were finally ready to take the next step in Europe, De Bruyne said: “I can answer that question next week.

“I don’t see it that way. We have performed really well. We have been in so many quarters and semi-finals and two finals. We have been there most of the time.

“Depends on who you ask (whether City need to win in Europe to earn recognition). Most of the guys have been incredible anyway. Will it help, yes.

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