Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says it is a pity Kevin De Bruyne will be on the opposing team in their crunch trip to take on Manchester City in the Premier League.
Conte s side have won seven consecutive top-flight matches and sit one point clear of Liverpool and Pep Guardiola s City at the top of the table ahead of the game.
De Bruyne is one of Guardiola s key players having started in 10 of their 13 top-flight games this season and the Chelsea boss agreed that his team had sold him too early back in 2014.
The Belgium international spent a superb campaign with Wolfsburg before joining City the following season, leaving Chelsea having to cope with him on Saturday.
De Bruyne played with Chelsea and I think he is a really great player, Conte said at his pre-match media conference when asked if the Blues had let him go prematurely.
It is a pity that now he is playing for another team.
For sure this is the case because he is a fantastic player, but now he plays with Manchester City. I wish him the best after our game.
Conte is hoping to be able to name another unchanged team against Chelsea s title rivals, but has to check on a couple of unknown squad members before being sure.
He continued: No injuries at the moment, we have to check on the physical condition of one or two players and then decide the line-up tomorrow. I prefer to keep this [the names] secret.
I m pleased for all the players that are playing. Those on the bench understand. There is the right atmosphere.
I think tomorrow it’s a really tough game. It is a great test for us, for our formation, to continue this way.
We know that it won t be easy because we face a really great team, with a great idea of football.
I think it is another step to show if something has changed compared to the start of the season.
For sure it is a big game. This season we played also a big game against arsenal Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham, but I think in this league every game is a big game because it s very difficult and very tough.
For me this is my first season in English football and these games are new in my career experience. It s fantastic and I m looking forward to playing.
