LONDON • Kevin de Bruyne has rubbished suggestions that Tottenham's new 62,000-capacity ground could influence the outcome of the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City.
Speaking ahead of their visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium today, the Belgium midfielder insisted he "did not care about it" despite claims the new home, which will host its second game, could act as an extra incentive for Mauricio Pochettino's side.
He added: "I care about the team we play. Everybody talks about the stadium like it's something special.
"Everybody has a stadium. Everybody has supporters. They'll be up for it. They'll probably be a little bit more excited but, in the end, it's a stadium with supporters.
"If they go to Wembley with 80,000 or there with 62,000 (fans), it'll be the same. It'll be a tough game, but we'll be all right."
Like his manager Pep Guardiola, de Bruyne is not entertaining any talk of an unprecedented quadruple even though City remain on course for the feat, given their fixture congestion.
The 27-year-old said: "You know how heavy the schedule is? People underestimate how the fixtures come that quickly. We're just going to play (on) Tuesday and, hopefully, play a good game."
BRING IT ON
Everybody talks about the stadium like it's something special. Everybody has a stadium. Everybody has supporters. They'll be up for it. They'll probably be a little bit more excited but, in the end, it's a stadium with supporters. It'll be a tough game, but we'll be all right.
'KEVIN DE BRUYNE, Manchester City midfielder, on his team not intimidated by Tottenham's new home.
HOME COMFORTS
Maybe the City players don't realise because they've always played at home, but we've played away from home for almost two years.
SON HEUNG-MIN, Spurs forward, on how their new stadium will lift the players.
However, Spurs forward Son Heung-min has countered de Bruyne by insisting the atmosphere can be beneficial as "we've missed our home a lot".
The South Korea international said yesterday: "Maybe the City players don't realise because they've always played at home, but we've played away from home for almost two years."
Spurs captain Hugo Lloris, who will be the player most under the spotlight after a string of under-par displays, also feels the crowd will "make City's life harder".
The France goalkeeper said: "At some moments in the game, we (will) feel the power, this can be a help for the team."
City remained in London after their FA Cup semi-final win over Brighton instead of returning to Manchester to minimise disruption at this crucial period of the season.
Striker Sergio Aguero has shaken off a muscle injury and could return to action today after missing the last two matches.
Guardiola said yesterday that he expected Spurs to stick to their attacking instincts as they eye a first European win in their new home.
"We know what we are going to face, it's up to us how we handle it. If we don't, that's because we are not prepared to go through," the Spaniard said.
"I will give my message to the players, always playing against Spurs away they will always play in that way I can't expect differently.
"How we handle that if they do it we must try to do it more. Maybe they will play high press and aggressive, we will prepare for that."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, THE GUARDIAN
TOTTENHAM V MAN CITY
Singtel TV Ch110 & StarHub Ch214, tomorrow, 2.55am
via @YouTube"
Destiny Beckons (1) (on hold at the moment) - Wattpad
LONDON (REUTERS) - Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk is back in training but remains doubtful for the Premier League leaders' home match against Leicester City at Anfield on Wednesday (Jan 30)..
Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk in doubt for Leicester game
Everything about a cheetah contributes to its superlative running skills. An oversized, powerful heart pumps huge amounts of blood; large lungs and nostrils allow for fast and deep air intake. A cheetah's eyes are extra long so they can get a fast, wide-angle view of their surroundings even at top speed.
Mysterious Cheetah | The Eyes Say it All (Marauders story)
The 20-woman squad will be looking to edge a step closer to next year's tournament, with a win on June 8 moving the Lionesses to 16 points and put their destiny in their own hands. Arsenal's Beth Mead keeps her place in the squad, as does Fran Kirby, and Neville expects Russia to focus on England's attacking prowess.
In total, he has won nine La Liga titles with the club, as well as four in the Champions League and six in the Copa del Rey. "Messi is a one-club man," Bartomeu added. "It's more than what he does on the pitch, his relationship with Barca will last forever. "I use the example of Pele, who was always at Santos. We want Messi to always be at
Josep Maria Bartomeu Wants to Keep Lionel Messi 'Forever' as
DENVER (AP) After giving up 39 points to Damian Lillard in the opener, the Denver Nuggets were determined to make sure Portland's role players would have to bear the burden of evening up the
McCollum leads Blazers past cold Nuggets - detroitnews.com
Aussie horror show as Jordan stun Asian Cup champions. Bani-Yaseen's powerful header seals issue for the underdogs. Defending champions Australia made their worst ever start to an Asian Cup
Asian Cup: Jordan stuns defending champ Australia in 1-0 win
Football: Messi's motivation spurs on Barcelona, says Rakitic
"I hope to go out [to Europe] to learn and to come back for the World Cup in Doha in 2022." Qatar coach Felix Sanchez, a former Barcelona youth coach, said Ali's value to the team was not just in
Qatari goal machine Ali targets Europe move before 2022 World Cup
Singapore Air's New Cabins Take Luxury to Another Level Bloomberg The flag carrier on Thursday unveiled its first major overhaul across cabins of its Airbus SE A380s since 2007, when it became the first to fly the double-decker aircraft.
YNWA: How You'll Never Walk Alone became a Liverpool FC
Leicester axe Puel, target Rodgers as successor, Football
THE NANYANG. CHRONICLE. VOL. NO. 24. 03 16.10.17. ISSN NO. 0218-7310. Taking IKEA by Strรถm. Students play to their beat. In defense of millennials. Students from the School of Art, Design and
Mitra - Find link - edwardbetts.com
edwardbetts.com/find_link/Mitra
Sombhu Mitra (989 words) exact match in snippet view article find links to article Sombhu Mitra (22 August 1915 - 19 May 1997) was an Indian film and stage actor, director, playwright, reciter and an Indian theatre personality, known
Malaysia | Thoughts of a Cynical Investor | Page 2
0 comments:
Post a Comment