‘He’s really strong’ – Ilkay Gundogan calls the ‘unbelievable’ Chelsea star his toughest opponent

City of Manchester midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has named a Chelsea The player is the toughest opponent he has ever faced in his career. The German player paid tribute to N’Golo Kante, greeting his team-mate for his hard work on the pitch.

Gundogan, who joined Manchester City in 2016, has locked lips with Kante several times across the league. At the end of last season, Kante even produced a memorable performance in the Champions League final to prevent Gundogan and City from winning the trophy.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Gundogan rates Kante so highly. Responding to a fan question on Twitter about the toughest opponent he’s faced in midfield, Gundogan tweeted:

“I would say N’Golo Kante. He’s really strong, the amount of work he’s put into the game, it’s unbelievable…”

Kante has been a stellar addition to the Premier League since he burst onto the scene at Leicester City. The Frenchman proved to be an important part of the Foxes’ historic Premier League title win under Claudio Ranieri in the 2015-16 season.

Following his achievement, Kante was quickly sought after by Chelsea, where he added several other trophies, including the Champions League and Europa League, to his trophy cabinet.

Recently, Kante has been struggling with injuries. Notably, the 30-year-old player only reached 762 minutes in the Premier League this season.

Chelsea and Manchester City prepare for an important confrontation in the Premier League

The Premier League returns on Saturday with a thrilling clash between leaders Manchester City and second-placed Chelsea. Although ranked second, the Blues are still 10 points ahead of the defending champion.

If Thomas Tuchel and his team-mates fail to beat Manchester City, they could drop to third place behind Liverpool, should the Reds win the match against Brentford. Understandably, there’s nothing short of a win that will help Chelsea if they stay in the title race.

In a back-to-back matchup between the sides in September, Pep Guardiola and his men won 1–0 at Stamford Bridge. Gabriel Jesus scored the only goal of the game as the hosts suffered their first defeat of the 2021-22 campaign.

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It remains to be seen whether the west London club can stun Manchester City away in Saturday’s early game.