Kevin De Bruyne claims Manchester City are ready to take a big step towards the Treble on Sunday – by beating title rivals Liverpool.
Pep Guardiola's champions City host Liverpool at the Etihad, in what has been billed as a title decider, with just a point separating the rival teams. City know victory over Jurgen Klopp's side will put them in pole position for a fourth title in five years, with a four-point lead and only seven games left to play.
Midfielder De Bruyne says City want to scoop the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup this season, but said they must earn the right to win them by triumphing in the big games.
He said: “That is the mentality, we want to win all three trophies,. It's going to be very hard, we've done good things before, but their quality is good also so we will respect that and work hard I think everybody is looking forward to it. I think the players will take it as a privilege to play these games.
"As a player, you want to win games and trophies and, if you want to do that, then you need to win these big games. But if you win, draw or lose, there is still a lot to play for. We're going to try and play a good game and then we will see."
There is no let-up for City in a run of games that will go a long way to defining their season. After Sunday, City go to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final, with Guardiola's side holding a 1-0 lead. City face Liverpool again the following Saturday at Wembley, in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
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Although City's immediate focus is on Sunday, De Bruyne also knows the significance of the Atletico game, with the Champions League the one trophy to elude them. He added: "I think we can get a good result in Madrid. Obviously, it is very tough, and they have a lot of quality when they play. It's a good result, we have a one goal advantage, but 90 minutes or 120 minutes is still a long time.
"Atletico Madrid played with almost five at the back and with five in midfield. I recommend anyone that says anything [about us], that they try playing against that on the training ground. Now we have to recover and get ready for Sunday."
City boss Guardiola gave little away about his side will face a potentially season-defining run of games. He added: "We have to be focused on what we have to do. It’s difficult to face a team with a lot of experience in this kind of competition, we’re going to go there and try to win the game. We’ll see what happens. We have a few days to prepare for Liverpool and just three days in Madrid and we’ll see."
