Man City made Kevin De Bruyne angry and now they might regret it

Manchester City will have an emotional reunion at the Etihad in the Champions League after the draw was made on Thursday.

Kevin De Bruyne waves farewell to the Etihad - but he will back again soon

When Kevin De Bruyne bid an emotional farewell to the Etihad in May, he spoke excitedly about the prospect of coming back one day to see the statue being commissioned in his honour.

For once, De Bruyne's timing might be out. City have commissioned a statue to honour his decade of service to the club, but this time it looks likely that the Belgian will be back in person before he's back in bronze.

The UEFA fixture gods and the statue creators could yet smile down on him, but as City await Saturday's fixture calendar for their eight Champions League league phase ties, it is likely De Bruyne's quicker-than-expected homecoming will happen before his likeness is unveiled.

There might be a desire for this fixture to be one of the later games, either in December or even January, given the 34-year-old has only just been feted as a departing hero. But for De Bruyne, he will be relishing the chance to return and prove a point he has already made off the pitch.

"I don’t feel like I want to share (the details) because it's basically more business-wise for them, they just make a decision based on that," he said in April after the decision not to offer him a new contract had been made public.

"It was not really a long conversation it was just what they told me and then there’s nothing. I have to accept the situation, even if I feel like I can still do a good job, but that’s it.

"I have not had any offer the whole year, they just took a decision. Obviously, I was a bit surprised but I just have to accept it. Honestly, I still think I can perform at this level like I'm showing."

Having scored on his Napoli debut at the weekend, albeit slightly fortuitously, De Bruyne will hope he can be in form when he comes back to the Etihad. Playing against City will be an unusual experience for him and probably an emotional night for a player who wears his heart on his sleeve.

But he is also a stubborn character, and having made it clear he felt he still had plenty to offer at the Etihad, he will know the best way to show it is to hurt the club he fell in love with.

While that will be a special night, City's trip to the Bernabeu will not. It is the fifth successive year that City have faced Real Madrid in this competition, and a tie that should always be mouth-watering is now taken for granted. There is little else left to say when these two met and let's be honest, there is every possibility of a meeting further down the line as well in the knockout stages.

City’s fixture list offers plenty of intrigue, with a clash against Galatasaray as well and a return for Leroy Sane as well as, potentially, any of Ederson, Manuel Akanji or Ilkay Gundogan. Erik ten Hag will also be back at the Etihad with Bayer Leverkusen.

With games against Borussia Dortmund, Bodo/Glimt, Monaco and Villarreal, City should have enough to secure a top-eight finish. But then we thought that last season as well.

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