Kevin de Bruyne: Man City will be called unsuccessful if Real Madrid beat us

Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne believes his side will be labelled as failures if they are eliminated by Real Madrid in the Champions League.

The English champions face Zinedine Zidane’s side in the Round of 16 in what is arguably the tie of the round, in a high stakes game for both sides.

Madrid have lost top spot in La Liga following a draw against Celta de Vigo and defeat at Levante, following on from their Copa del Rey exit earlier this month.

However, City are in an even more drastic situation domestically – they sit a whopping 19 points behind league leaders Liverpool having played one game more.

The Premier League title appears to be gone for the club, as they now prioritise success in the Champions League – a competition they have never won.

“If we don’t win it everybody is going to say we are failures like the last five years!” De Bruyne told reporters in England, as cited by Diario AS.

“It’s something we’ve not won yet.

“We always want to win everything but sometimes another team is better or performing well – like Liverpool are doing this season.

“It’s just that way and you just have to admit it. But we will just go there to win that game. You can’t look too much forwards and see what’s going to happen.”

City’s best ever performance in European competition was reaching the semi-finals of this competition four years ago, where they were eliminated by Madrid.

“It’s Madrid,” he said. “They have won the most Champions Leagues out of everybody and are always formidable.

“But I think we will go there to try to play our game like we always do and try to play offensive football, try to put them under pressure and try to have a good game and, if we can, win.”

Tags Kevin De Bruyne Manchester City
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