Is Kevin De Bruyne Playing for Manchester City vs Luton Town?

Around 60 minutes before the Manchester City-Real Madrid tie, the internet exploded. It was not entirely due to the excitement of a heavyweight encounter but the fact that Kevin De Bruyne was on the bench for Guardiola’s side. While initially thought of as a tactical tweak, it came to the fore that KDB was not well. In fact, he had barfed just before the game.

Fortunately for the Sky Blues, Phil Foden lined up in the attacking midfield role and sizzled against Los Blancos. Up next for Manchester City is a home game against relegation-threatened Luton Town. As such, the big question is regarding KDB’s availability. Is the Belgian back to full fitness? Let’s find out below.

Will Kevin De Bruyne lineup for Manchester City against Luton Town?

To keep things straight, Pep Guardiola is yet to confirm the extent of the Belgian wizard’s participation tomorrow. In his latest presser, the Spaniard had said, “I didn’t speak to the doctors (regarding KDB). After the press conference, we have a meeting, and we will see.” Furthermore, the seasoned manager also mentioned the upcoming practice session will gauge the player’s overall condition. Hence, the potential call-up of Kevin De Bruyne depends on his fitness!

The Belgian superstar was originally a part of Manchester City’s starting XI plans against Real Madrid. As per Guardiola, there was a team meeting, and later, in the locker room, KDB started hurling and said he was not well. Initially, it was believed to be an unfortunate incident. However, a recently released report confirmed what went wrong for Kevin De Bruyne.

As per the report, food consumed before the match possibly caused the issue. The playmaker had dined at the team hotel a few hours before the match, and this is where the suspicions lie. Fortunately, it proved an isolated case as none of the other Manchester City players got ill.

Also, there is a strong reason as to why Manchester City could start the playmaker from the bench tomorrow. For Kevin De Bruyne, this season has been one marred by injuries. His rotten luck started with a hamstring injury in August that ruled him out for five months! Even after his return, the playmaker has missed games due to fitness and groin issues. As a result, deploying the Belgian from the start against the team 18th in the table doesn’t make much sense, especially considering the importance of Manchester City’s remaining games in this campaign.