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Fans have reacted to Manchester City starting without midfielder Kevin De Bruyne for their Premier League home game with Brentford on Tuesday (February 20).
Pep Guardiola's side are coming off a disappointing 1-1 home draw with Chelsea at the weekend, which snapped their 11-game winning streak across competitions. The stalemate left them four points off leaders Liverpool (57) in third, with a game in hand.
A win will take the defending three-time champions ahead of second-placed Arsenal (55) and within one point of the Reds.
Meanwhile, De Bruyne - coming off a long injury layoff - played the full 90 minutes against the Blues but starts on the bench against Brentford at the Etihad. Fans reckon Guardiola has seemingly given up on the Premier League, with one tweeting:
Trending
"Pep is not willing to compete for EPL"
Another chimed in:
"This a joke""
Here are some of the top reactions on X:
City have 53 points from 24 games and are unbeaten in nine league outings since a 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa in December.
How has Kevin De Bruyne fared for Manchester City this season?
Kevin De Bruyne is the crown jewel of Manchester City's star-studded team. The Belgian playmaker suffered a hamstring injury at the start of the season and has missed 27 games across competitions.
Having returned to the XI in the 3-1 FA Cup third-round win at Huddersfield Town - where he provided an assist - the 32-year-old has two goals and eight assists in 10 games across competitions.
The Belgian bagged his first goal of the season in the 3-2 league win at Newcastle United last month. He provided an assist in his next three league outings before drawing a blank in the draw with Chelsea.
De Bruyne, though, had an impressive outing in midweek before the draw with the Blues. He had a hand in all three goals, scoring once and assisting twice in the 3-1 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first-leg win at FC Copenhagen.
