맨시티의 이달 상대 아스널, 레알, 리버풀…KDB "오히려 잘 됐어" | OneFootball

맨체스터 시티(맨시티)가 올 시즌 성패를 좌우할 2월 일정을 시작한다. 이달 맨시티의 상대는 아스널, 레알 마드리드, 리버풀 등이다.

맨시티는 오는 3일 새벽 1시 30분(한국시각) 라이벌 아스널을 상대로 2024/25 잉글랜드 프리미어 리그 24라운드 원정 경기에 나선다.

이후 맨시티는 이달 프리미어 리그에서 뉴캐슬 유나이티드, 리버풀, 토트넘을 상대한다. 챔피언스 리그에서는 레알 마드리드가 맨시티의 플레이오프 상대로 확정됐다.

그러나 맨시티에서 10년째를 맞은 미드필더 케빈 더브라위너는 오히려 이달 힘겨운 일정이 팀에 도움이 될 수 있다며 기대감을 내비쳤다.

WATCH: Countdown to our Gunners double header!

“There’s always a month or two-month period in a year where you get every big team and a lot of big games in a row,” the Belgian said. “Sometimes that can be a good thing, sometimes it can be a hard thing also.

“We’ve had moments where it helps to be in that rhythm – knowing that we have to be at 100 per cent all the time.

“Let’s hope it’s that one for us, we find the rhythm and do better than we have already done.”

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City will be boosted by the availability of new signings Abdukodir Khusanov, Omar Marmoush and Vitor Reiss for the clash with the Gunners.

The January signings were ineligible for our midweek win over Club Brugge that saw us secure a place in the Champions League play-offs.

Khusanov and Marmoush both started the 3-1 victory over Chelsea and De Bruyne believes they have been a welcome addition to the squad.

“It obviously helped us for the Chelsea game,” he added. “Abdukodir came in when we didn’t have any defenders, he had a tough five minutes but after that he did well. He should be proud to do that at 20-years-old.

“I thought Omar had a good game too and showed the qualities he had. It’s something we maybe lacked a bit – somebody running in behind and can play multiple positions.

“We have more people in the squad and have more rotational options which is good.”

With players such as John Stones returning and Oscar Bobb on the way back in addition to the new players, De Bruyne believes the squad is in a better place after a tough period.

“We have now found some resilience to bounce back after a difficult period,” De Bruyne said. “We were not good enough in that period – we lost way too many games.

“You have to accept injuries, and we had a lot of them. You have to go on – everyone was willing and working hard to be there, but we were just not fit enough as a team to compete in that moment of time.

“We are slowly getting some players back – we need some more but with the new players coming in, it’s giving us some breathing space for others to come back. Hopefully that helps us.”