Man City face three major calls that could define derby day approach vs Manchester United

Manchester City welcome Manchester United to the Etihad on Sunday and there are some difficult selection calls facing Pep Guardiola.

Jeremy Doku and Omar Marmoush could be competing for one place in the team against Manchester United

The first Manchester derby of the season could be one of the more unpredictable contests in recent years, which is saying something for a game that has often refused to run to script.

The fact that these sides meet in just the fourth week of the season and directly after an international break adds to the uncertainty, and neither manager will be feeling particularly comfortable this week.

Ruben Amorim has survived the immediate threat to his job prospects and a change at Old Trafford looks far more likely to come from his resignation than his dismissal, but United are clearly still under pressure, despite that nerve-shredding win against Burnley.

That victory did at least lift them above Manchester City, who have seen the momentum from the opening day disappear in defeats to Tottenham and Brighton.

Pep Guardiola badly needs a win here to settle things down, but ahead of Sunday he faces a few key selection decisions, as well as needing to wait on the fitness of some key men. These are the three biggest choices he has to make, and the outcome could define how the Blues tackle derby day.

Donnarumma vs Trafford

Gianluigi Donnarumma has yet to train with his new teammates after a £26million move from Paris St-Germain on deadline day, and he is likely to only get two or three sessions before derby day.

Does Guardiola throw him in of the back of that? If you were banking on a clean sheet on Sunday, then 26-year-old Donnarumma would probably get the call ahead of 22-year-old James Trafford.

The Italian's presence in goal could change the way City plays, from their ability to play out from the back to the position of the back four, who have become accustomed to playing a high line in front of Ederson and, this season, Trafford.

Guardiola could back the continuity and familiarity of Trafford, or go for Donnarumma and bank on the Italian potentially producing a big moment in goal.

Lewis vs Nunes

Right-back is an ongoing dilemma for City this season. Rico Lewis started the first two games of the campaign before Matheus Nunes returned against Brighton and produced an unconvincing display.

Lewis is the better option when City are dominant in possession, but the question marks are around his physicality and combativeness. Nunes is the more powerful choice.

What sort of game does Guardiola envisage? Nunes would feel a likely selection against Arsenal's team of giants, but this is a tougher call. Going for Lewis would arguably be the brave pick, but he is the better footballer and City should look to control and dominate a mediocre United.

Marmoush vs Doku

Goals are the order of the day in attack, and not just from Erling Haaland. City desperately need someone to step up and share the burden with the Norwegian.

The most likely contributor is Omar Marmoush, who got seven in the Premier League last term after his £59million mid-season move from Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Egyptian won't replace Haaland, but he could take Jeremy Doku's place on the left. Marmoush isn't as eye-catching as Doku, but he will score more goals.

Doku can bring the pyrotechnics, however, and he should be confident, having scored twice and got an assist in Belgium's 6-0 win against Kazakhstan. Doku needs to add goals to his game and although it's a risk hoping that happens on derby day, now might be the time to take the risk, especially with the potential for space behind United's wing-backs.