Man City boss Pep Guardiola has suggested that Kevin de Bruyne could be in line to return to face Liverpool on Thursday night.
The Premier League title rivals meet at the Etihad in what is a potentially crunch clash as the Reds look to extend their seven-point lead over City.
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In turn, Guardiola knows the importance of this fixture and even suggested last week that it’s a game that his side must win or they can bid farewell to their title hopes, as noted by the Telegraph.
With that in mind, he’ll be delighted with the news that De Bruyne could yet return to face Liverpool, as he noted in his press conference on Wednesday that the Belgian international could still be given the green light to feature.
“He trained today but tomorrow we need another check in the morning. He’s much better,” he told the media, as reported by the Manchester Evening News.
The 27-year-old has been dogged by knee injuries this season, while he sat out the win over Southampton earlier this week with a knock which put his participation against the Reds in danger.
Although he’s only managed to contribute two goals and an assist in nine outings so far this season, there is no denying the quality that he brings to the table and that was shown in his statistics last year.
De Bruyne bagged 12 goals and 21 assists in 52 games in the title-winning campaign, and so if he is fit to play and can have an influence in the Man City midfield, Guardiola will be confident his side can get the result that they need.
Time will tell if he passes that last fitness test, but Guardiola sounds relatively optimistic that he’ll be available.
