Pep Guardiola’s men welcome United to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday 6 March, with kick-off scheduled for 16:30 (UK).
In the first derby to be played in front of our home crowd since January 2020, victory would extend our lead at the Premier League summit to six points.
But looking ahead to the fixture, De Bruyne insists he tries not to get carried away when facing our cross-city rivals.
“I would compare this game to any other game in the top six,” he reflected.
“It is a big game and big games can make a difference in a season, so we try to win these games.
“I treat them as a big game as it is, but nothing different to that.
“I think they have been doing alright. Obviously, there is a period where you have to adapt as a team, but I think the quality they have as players was there from the beginning.
“I know they have been struggling a bit, but we also know that on any other day they have a lot of players that can make a difference.
“It is going to be a hard game like we expect, but we will try to win it.”
After recovering from an ankle injury sustained at last summer’s European Championships, De Bruyne has once again looked back to his best at City.
Indeed, the midfielder has grabbed a goal or assist in six of his nine appearances in all competitions so far in 2022.
Assessing his recent performances, the Belgian has been pleased with the contribution he has made to our success.
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He said: “I think I have been playing good. I obviously started the season with a lot of pain. I had pain in my ankle every day.
“It is something I had to go through and I had to wait a little bit. But from November on until now I have been playing a lot of games and been playing good football.
“We have won a lot of games, so I am totally fine with what I am doing. I am happy.”
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De Bruyne also pointed towards the Manchester derby’s history, and City’s upward trajectory over the past decade.
Including our inaugural Premier League title triumph, City have won 12 major trophies since 2012 in comparison to Manchester United’s four.
And while the Belgian is delighted by our continued success in recent years, he warned against complacency when we step over the white line on Sunday afternoon.
“You are talking about a big history. City have grown so much, and the team are performing very, very good.
“We are one of the top teams in England now and part of that group. That is the only thing we can do, just try to win as much as possible and then the team will continue to grow.
“Our team is very good and I want to win titles. I think the performances speak for themselves.
“The last years, since I have been here, we have been doing so well as a team. We have won titles, we have won cups.
“[United] have been struggling a little bit more than us but they are still a big team and have wonderful players.”
