De Bruyne Ready To Shine For Manchester City After Belgium's Nations League Success

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Kevin De Bruyne is optimistic about his fitness and performance levels as he prepares to rejoin Manchester City. He played a crucial role in Belgium's 3-1 victory over Israel in their Nations League opener, scoring twice. This brings his international goal tally to 30 in 106 appearances since his debut in 2010.

Belgium will seek redemption against Didier Deschamps' France after being eliminated by them in the Euro 2024 last-16 stage due to Jan Vertonghen's own goal. Following their match with France, Belgium will face Italy and then meet Les Bleus again next month. Their group campaign concludes with games against the Azzurri and Israel in November.

The 33-year-old midfielder has started the Premier League season strongly, contributing a goal and an assist in three appearances. Both contributions came during City's 4-1 win over Ipswich Town. De Bruyne has also created 11 chances so far, only surpassed by Dwight McNeil (13) and Andreas Pereira (14).

When asked if City manager Pep Guardiola would be pleased with him playing consecutive full matches, De Bruyne responded, "You'll have to ask him! Well, as long as I feel good, it's okay and it's up to the coach to decide." He added that he has six days of rest before City's next match after facing France.

Domenico Tedesco's squad will travel to Lyon on Monday to face France, who lost 3-1 to Italy in their opening Group A2 fixture. De Bruyne is expected to start again. Despite Belgium's win over Israel, head coach Tedesco expressed a desire for improvement ahead of their tough test against France.

"We started well and scored straight away, but after the goal we lost some of our self-confidence," said Tedesco. "Fortunately, we were sharper after the break, showed courage with vertical football and high pressure, in order to create quite a few chances again. That is a positive sign."

De Bruyne contributed significantly to Belgium’s total expected goals (xG) of 3.53 against Israel with an xG tally of 1.64 himself. He also completed more passes in the final third (34) than any other player on the pitch.

"When you play six group games, every game is important," De Bruyne noted. "We only have two days to rest and get ready. But the pressure will be on them now."

As Belgium prepares for their upcoming fixtures, De Bruyne remains a key player both for his national team and Manchester City.