On Sunday, Manchester City go to Anfield to take on current Premier League leaders Liverpool.
It’s a scary prospect in any case, but Manchester City are now six games without a win in all competitions and have just suffered a psychologically damaging draw with Feyenoord.
‘Suffered’, because City were 3-0 up in the game. But defensive mistakes saw the spoils shared.
The players must now try to pick themselves up after what feels like another defeat, with the Reds up next on Sunday.
Liverpool are now big favourites, and City fans are certainly worried.
But Pep Guardiola can perhaps do one thing this weekend to help some supporters feel better – and also Erling Haaland.
Pep Guardiola needs to start Kevin De Bruyne vs Liverpool
Kevin De Bruyne has not started a game of football for Manchester City since limping off in the first Champions League game against Inter back in September.
The Belgian maestro has really struggled with an abductor injury, something he’s suggested has been a bit complicated.
He returned to the pitch for City before the last international break against Sporting CP, and has since made another three cameo appearances.
Ahead of the game with Feyenoord, Guardiola said De Bruyne told him he was pain-free before the Tottenham match.
Clearly, that has been why he still hasn’t been starting games, despite having been back in training for quite a while now.
De Bruyne has been building his minutes steadily for City, and Guardiola should now seriously consider starting him against Liverpool – because the team desperately miss him.
Erling Haaland has scored 17 goals this season, but the other attacking players aren’t chipping in with goals. And the lack of creativity could be a factor.
We also know how good a connection De Bruyne and Haaland have. Since Haaland came to City, the pair have combined for a total of 24 goals – with 22 of those being De Bruyne-to-Haaland assists.
Liverpool are statistically the best defensive team in the Premier League right now, so Haaland is likely to be pretty well-marshalled. But De Bruyne is an all-time great when it comes to creating, so the Norwegian would love nothing more than to see his partner in crime start.
Indeed, Haaland is on record saying it’s fantastic to play with De Bruyne.
What is Kevin De Bruyne’s record vs Liverpool?
De Bruyne has always been a big-game player and his numbers against Liverpool have been pretty impressive.
The 33-year-old has made 18 appearances in total against the Reds throughout his career.
| Kevin De Bruyne vs Liverpool |
| Appearances – 18 |
| Wins – 5 |
| Draws – 5 |
| Losses – 8 |
| Goals – 4 |
| Assists – 9 |
De Bruyne’s scored four goals against Liverpool – he’s only scored more against five other clubs in his career (Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Wolves).
De Bruyne has made nine assists against Liverpool. He’s only made more assists against two other clubs (Southampton and Watford).
