The Manchester derby in December should have been the end of the Matheus Nunes experiment.
Two glaring errors handed Manchester United victory from the jaws of defeat and kept Manchester City's rotten run going. In a competitive list of worst results of the season, the manner of the United capitulation puts it firmly in contention.
That was the first and last time Nunes was deployed at left-back in a season where the back four has changed on an almost weekly-basis. Since then, however, Nunes has played 10 more games at right-back, and may well be used there again at Old Trafford this weekend.
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With John Stones and Manu Akanji injured and Kyle Walker gone, the right-back spot is basically a fight between Nunes and Rico Lewis. Since that derby, Lewis has started nine games there, with one start apiece for Akanji and Abdukodir Khusanov.
Guardiola has flip-flopped between options. Lewis offers better ability on the ball and an opportunity to roam into midfield, but perhaps provides less one-on-one defending. Lewis has also been overplayed and overused due to injuries to others and simply looks tired.
He hasn't become a bad player overnight, especially after his impressive summer and start to the season. But he's equally not in great form so is he worth the risk of playing against United?
On the other hand, can you trust Nunes after the last derby? And his mistake vs Bournemouth amid others. There is no right answer and maybe two wrong ones.
So is there an alternative? Lewis started against Leicester this week in a new-look defence that saw Nico O'Reilly earn a first Premier League start at left-back with Josko Gvardiol shifted into the centre.
Could those two form the left side of defence against United with Ruben Dias and the returning Khusanov back on the right? Khusanov was absent against Leicester with City offering the unusual explanation of the youngster earning a 'well deserved rest'.
That implies he will be back against United, presumably from the start. Guardiola has to decide if he sticks with Khusanov in the centre and an imperfect right-back or go for a more in-form combination of Khusanov and O'Reilly as an unlikely full-back pair.
In the context of this week it would represent a drastic Plan B.
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