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He's De Man

Champions League presents an unmissable opportunity for Kevin De Bruyne to cement his status as one of the world’s best

Man City take on Napoli in their third game of this season's group stage, with the Belgian ace pivotal to their hopes

MANCHESTER CITY fans like myself can’t watch enough football at the moment.

Pep Guardiola himself admitted after Saturday’s thrilling 7-2 victory over Stoke that the club’s performances have been the best since he’s arrived.

 Man City take on Napoli in the Champions League in superb form
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Man City take on Napoli in the Champions League in superb formCredit: Rex Features

Napoli are the toughest side in our group and whilst some might complain about fixture congestion, I’m keen to see us get the tougher games out of the way whilst we’re playing as we are.

The Italians will be no pushovers as a side sitting top of Serie A with an impressive eight wins from eight games.

Guardiola faces a tough selection choice going forward.

Sergio Aguero will be a welcome boost after appearing from the bench on Saturday just two weeks after being involved in a car crash.

 Man City's ability to outscore all of their opponents has been incredible
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Man City's ability to outscore all of their opponents has been incredibleCredit: AFP

But Pep will be hard-pressed to drop Gabriel Jesus who scored twice against Stoke and twice for Brazil in the international break.

In fact it’s not just Aguero forcing Pep into a decision.

Currently, Manchester City have FOUR players averaging less than 90 minutes per goal.

If Guardiola could somehow find a way to squeeze Jesus, Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane into the same team, you could bet on City to score four goals or more again.

 Sergio Aguero could return for the Napoli game after his car crash
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 Sergio Aguero could return for the Napoli game after his car crashCredit: AFP

I'd challenge anyone to name a side more dangerous than ours in the Champions League this season.

Perhaps surprisingly, I’m not looking to the front line to make the difference on Tuesday.

Kevin De Bruyne has continued to produce world class performances so far this campaign for both club and country and simply raises the standard of every player around him.

 Kevin De Bruyne has the chance to stake his claim as the best in the world
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Kevin De Bruyne has the chance to stake his claim as the best in the worldCredit: EPA


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He’s been on the brink of football’s elite for a while now and where City fans have seen his class many times, it's only recently the football community appears to have cottoned on to his true ability.

With City cruising domestically, the Champions League presents an unmissable opportunity for De Bruyne to cement his status as one of the world’s best.

Heading into a World Cup year, the Champions League could be the platform for him to springboard to super-stardom and I’ll tip him to continue that journey on Tuesday.

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