There are conundrums a-plenty for Roberto Mancini to ponder ahead of next Saturday's "big kick-off" (Clichés R Us), and we're not talking about the ones you find on Channel 4 in the afternoon.

The Blues boss will have to pick 11 players from a squad that is virtually 100% fit and available, and the Observer's Louise Taylor neatly assesses all his options this morning under the headline "City's title hopes face being spoilt by rich choices".

No area of the side is left untouched in Louise's comprehensive look at Roberto's options, and we could reprint any of them so we've plumped for the following -

"Then there is Craig Bellamy. The Welshman can be brilliant either wide on the left or up front, but can he be squeezed into a formation expected to accommodate Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Silva and, Mancini hopes, Balotelli? Or is he surplus to requirements? And what if Robinho returns to the fold?"

There's plenty of speculation over Bellamy and others being loaned out throughout the back pages today. The People boasts an "exclusive" that "the fiery Welshman" (TM) is mulling over moves to either Spurs, Celtic or Cardiff - so, er, nothing too exclusive or indeed new there then? That said, the same article claims that we will hand Barcelona’s Gai Assulin a shock debut for the reserves at Southport on Tuesday this week.

Sunderland are said to want to take Joe Hart on loan, while Mark Hughes is rumoured to want to take Felipe Caicedo to Craven Cottage on the same terms in the News of the World.