De Bruyne fit for final; Kane faces race to prove fitness
LONDON: Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is fit for Sunday’s League Cup final against Totenham and next week’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-germain, Pep Guardiola revealed on Friday.
De Bruyne was a doubt for two of the biggest games of City’s season ater the Belgium star suffered ankle and foot injuries during last weekend’s FA Cup semi-final defeat against Chelsea.
The 29-year-old limped off in the 48th minute at Wembley and missed City’s 2-1 win at Aston Villa in the Premier League on Wednesday.
That sparked fears he would not be available for the League Cup final or Wednesday’s trip to Paris for the Champions League semi-final first leg.
But City boss Guardiola, speaking at a prematch press conference, said both De Bruyne and Argentina striker Sergio Aguero would be available ater training on Friday.
Aguero, who will leave City at the end of the season, has been struggling with a muscle problem ater an injury-plagued campaign.
“They are both (ready), they trained today. Tomorrow we are going to decide,” Guardiola said.
Treble-chasing City need eight points from their remaining five games to win a third Premier League title in four seasons.
They are bidding to win the Champions League for the first time, while Guardiola hasn’t lited the trophy since 2011 with Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Totenham striker Harry Kane is in a race against time to be fit for the final against City ater he missed training on Friday.
Kane suffered another ankle injury in the 2-2 draw at Everton last week and missed the midweek win over Southampton.
Interim boss Ryan Mason does not know whether the England captain will be available for Sunday’s showpiece game against City at Wembley as Spurs hunt their first trophy since 2008.
“We’re not sure yet. He didn’t train with the team today (Friday) but we’ll have more of an idea tomorrow to see if we can get him back on the pitch,” said Mason, who replaced the sacked Jose Mourinho on Monday.
“It’s a case of taking it hour by hour now. So the days are obviously running out. It’s a case of seeing how he feels in the next four hours, the next six hours, and go from there.”
Kane has a habit returning quickly from injuries, notably for the 2019 Champions League final, in which he was well off the pace in a defeat against Liverpool.
This ankle problem is not as serious but Mason said Kane would not be risked if it could inflict further damage.