Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne ‘very excited’ ahead of Sunday’s derby

“I don’t know why UEFA thinks these things about our fans”. “I don’t have a problem in my relationship with Vincent”. Kompany suffered the injury during the 2-1 Champions League home defeat against Juventus on September 15, with Nicolas Otamendi since establishing himself as Eliaquim Mangala’s regular central defensive partner.

City’s next game comes against local rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, a clash Zabaleta is relishing.

City’s supporters booed the Champions League anthem, which is played ahead of every game in the competition.

The Chilean was asked before the Sevilla game if the continued booing might be affecting his players in creating a negative atmosphere before games.

City’s rivalry with United has gained a new edge in recent years following City’s elevation to the top of the domestic game.

That being said without sounding a bit like Brendan Rodgers the blues showed great character to come from behind and win, and may give them the confidence to push on after two successive victories.

A few could argue that without arguably their three most important players David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany to get the three points was a few achievement, with the money spent though you would expect the replacements to do the job.

De Bruyne has already played in a variety of attacking positions in his fledgling City career and has proved highly effective in each of them.

“Last season we had a lot of different ways to play – when our strikers were injured, we played with [James] Milner [in attack] and scored goals”.

“If you take a point or even lose, it’s not ideal but there are still nearly 30 games to go so this result won’t be the deciding factor in who wins the title”.

Ill-feeling towards UEFA grew after City’s match at CSKA Moscow last October was ordered to be played behind closed doors because of the poor behaviour of Russian supporters. But it’s the same for the manager, the players, the referee, they pay for their tickets and can express what they feel with respect.

“It was a fantastic finish from Kevin de Bruyne and a big three points”, he added.

The Belgian came off the bench in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League and his return could be a huge boost for the two-time Premier League champions.