De Bruyne 'not concentrated' on England vs Belgium

Having already secured a place in the last 16 of the World Cup, Kevin De Bruyne is not overly concerned by Belgium's match with England.

Published : Jun 26, 2018 13:59 IST

Kevin De Bruyne is "not concentrated" on Belgium's final World Cup Group G match against England, because the Red Devils have already qualified.

Belgium and England have won their opening two matches over Tunisia and Panama to book their places in the last 16, though Thursday's meeting in Kaliningrad will decide who takes top spot.

Head coach Roberto Martinez hinted he will make wholesale changes, with De Bruyne one of three players a booking away from a ban and Romelu Lukaku, Dries Mertens, Eden Hazard and Vincent Kompany all injury concerns.

The Manchester City midfielder does not appear too worried about rounding off the first stage with a strong result against England.

"Obviously they have a good team. But to be honest I'm not really concentrated on them," De Bruyne told Sky Sports.

"We're already qualified so that changes the whole complexion I think."

De Bruyne attributed his laid-back approach to the experience gained at major tournaments and focusing on long-term goals.

"We are more calm. Brazil [2014 World Cup] was totally new. The European Championship was also something different," he said.

"The guys have experience already and know you don't have to be great in the beginning. It's more about growing as a team and you need a little bit of luck. The circumstances need to be right.

"It's just look at the next game, be calm and see what's going to happen."

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