Man City Is Focused On Title, Not Derby – KDB

Manchester City cannot afford to get distracted by their rivalry with Manchester United, Belgian international Kevin De Bruyne has warned.

All eyes will be on Old Trafford on Saturday as the two clubs meet for the first this season — both with 100 percent records in the Premier League to protect.

The relationship between the two clubs is set to become even more intense after the appointments of Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho following their bitter relationship over the years.

And City and United have invested heavily in their squads over the summer with Mourinho breaking the world transfer record with the £89 million signing of Paul Pogba.

The sides are the two early favourites to win the title and while De Bruyne says both squads are full of quality, he warned that they must overlook the challenge from outside Manchester.

“They have started the way we have started with nine points so they are doing very well and I think they will obviously be a force to be reckoned with this season,” the former Chelsea and Wolfsburg midfielder said. “This game isn’t going to be easy but in the end we have to just play the way we play and dominate the game in our style.

“I think quality-wise we are both big groups with a lot of top players. It’s two class teams with different styles of play. I hope the trophy ends up on the Blue half of Manchester because that will mean we will have had a great season but I don’t think you can rule out Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool who are doing really well. It’s not easy in the Premier League. You have to be there every time — that’s part of playing in England.

“We know that United are one of the bigger teams in England. They want to play for titles, we want to play for titles so it adds a bit of a different dimension but we have to be confident in the way we are playing. They have made a few really good additions, but we are trying to do the same so hopefully it will be a good game.”

A victory at Old Trafford for either side could potentially lay down an early marker in the title race.

However, De Bruyne says nothing should be read into the result — even if City come away with the three points.

“Derbies are always intense,” he added. “Last year we played it and it was a difficult game.

“Derbies that I’ve played elsewhere are also a big deal to the fans so you have to take that into consideration also. I try not to get too emotional and instead just try to play my game. Hopefully at the end we can win it for the fans and that will be a big boost for them.

“I don’t think winning this game gives the team a psychological edge. It can turn so quickly in football. You try to win a lot of games in a row to gain an advantage but it can turn quickly like we had last year. If you lose four or five games in a row it can be done and impossible to come back.”

“It means a little bit more because it’s a big game. You want to prove yourself in the first really big test of the year to show everybody that we’re ready but if we lose then it is only three points. I want to be there at the end, not at the beginning. If we can do it now and maintain it then that’s even nicer.”