ENGLAND ARE FAVOURITES to win Euro 2020 alongside France, according to Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.
Gareth Southgate’s side moved up to fourth in the Fifa rankings after two impressive qualifying wins in March.
The Three Lions — who made the semi-finals of last year’s World Cup — cruised past the Czech Republic and Montenegro 5-0 and 5-1 respectively to set down an impressive marker for the campaign.
And De Bruyne — who scored his second Premier League goal of an injury-hit season in City’s 2-0 win over Cardiff City on Wednesday — believes their squad is strong enough to seriously compete over the next decade.
“I told the England guys a week ago that you should win Euro 2020. I think they are favourites with France,” he told reporters.
I see the guys already established, and those coming up, so the future looks really good.
“Will they win it? I don’t know, because only one team can win it, but they have a chance to do well in the next 10 years.”
Meanwhile, De Bruyne’s team-mate Bernardo Silva says City are relishing the season’s climax despite admitting that they are feeling the pressure to secure an historic quadruple.
With the EFL Cup already won, City are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the quarter-finals of the Champions League, while they will defend their league crown if they win all their remaining games.
“I think if we don’t believe it we won’t get it, so we have to believe we’re capable of doing it,” he told BBC’s Football Focus.
We know it’s very difficult as no-one has done it before. But I think with the squad we have, the quality we have in this team, all the staff and the fans behind us, I think we can do it but, of course, it won’t be easy.
“Of course, you feel the pressure, but if you don’t feel the pressure it’s because you’re not normal. Everybody feels pressure.
“Obviously when you arrive in the last month of the season where you can win or lose everything you will have to deal with the pressure. We are used to this — this is the best month of the season.”
Gavan Casey and Ryan Bailey are joined by Bernard Jackman to look back on a thrilling weekend of European rugby on the latest episode of The42 Rugby Weekly:
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