There are many reasons why it would be fitting for Ederson to notch his 350th appearance for Manchester City on Sunday in the Manchester derby.

It remains City's biggest game of the season against their biggest and closest rivals and would also see him come up against Andre Onana in a repeat of the 2023 Champions League final that proved defining in the careers of both men. The derby was also the first game for Claudio Bravo - Pep Guardiola's first choice to replace Joe Hart that went so badly wrong.

On paper Bravo looked ideal as an experienced Barcelona shotstopper that could instantly grasp the football the new City manager wanted in 2016, but a wild debut against United set the tone for one of the more disastrous signings of the Txiki Begiristain era. There was real pressure then in 2017, having taken the big decision to ditch Hart and then the equally sizable one to dispense with Bravo in less than 12 months.

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Making an uncapped Brazilian from the Portuguese league the most expensive goalkeeper since Gianluigi Buffon certainly raised eyebrows. Ederson does not believe in pressure though, and has been so good for so long that the question of City's No.1 has been moot from the moment he walked through the door in 2017 until now.

City went from one of the worst signings of the Begiristain era to one of the best, with Guardiola having been struck with the keeper back in 2016 when he took his Bayern side to Benfica in the Champions League. Ederson had left Benfica's youth system after not making the grade, but fought his way back up into their thoughts and left staff in no doubt about his ability when he returned.

Nikola Popovic had just joined the coaching staff of Benfica B in 2015 when Ederson walked back through the door in Lisbon. His impact was so strong so quickly that they had little doubt that he would not be with the club long never mind the second team.

"At Benfica the jersey carries a very big weight, it's very heavy," Popovic explained. "The great players who have this greatness in them, it's easy.

"We had Jan Oblak and it was very similar - these players didn't feel the pressure. It's unbelievable how they can perform in high pressure. It looks like they see everything in slow motion and can overcome the problems with class.

"You could see the quality was there and that very soon he was going to become one of the best in the game. I love Guardiola and we played against them in the Champions League and knowing him and how he wants to play I always thought that Ederson was the perfect match for Guardiola - a goalkeeper that can play like a centre-back.

"It's very interesting because he can really destroy you. If you press high and try to avoid the build-up play, he will put the ball 70 metres ahead. it's very difficult.

"When he played here, we already had Ruben Dias in Benfica B and any team that has quality players means you can go short and go long. How can you stop these kind of actions? It's a challenge for any team facing Ederson."

So it has proven, with Ederson picking up 13 trophies and 349 appearances and his presence in the City team unsettling opponents so much that many have moved towards a ballplaying goalkeeper to try and carry a threat of their own. Onana replaced David De Gea at United two years ago in an attempt to do similar, but showed in midweek that nobody is as good at Ederson as putting his team on the front foot from the back.

Ederson's appearance in midweek moved him past Hart for appearances, up to 29th in the all-time list for the club. Even if he will never reach Joe Corrigan on 603 appearances or Bert Trautmann on 545 there is no doubt that he will go down as one of the greatest goalkeepers at City as well as a gamechanger.

The result and performance against Juventus did not lend itself to celebration or even recognition of time served though, and the way Ederson let Dusan Vlahovic's admittedly close-range header bobble over the line means he can not be certain that his 350th appearance will come against United. Stefan Ortega enjoyed three matches in the team after displacing the 31-year-old at Anfield, and while it would still be a surprise if he comes back in on Sunday he has pushed the No.1 harder than any other goalkeeper in the last nine years.

Having turned down lifechanging money in the summer from the Saudi Pro League after Guardiola went to great lengths to convince him to stay, Ederson may feel a little annoyed that he is not certain of a starting place even if the manager still says he is his No.1 - especially after performing better than most this season. However, the goalkeeper is in a similar boat to many of his teammates where the accolades they rack up matter little for the current situation when the side has one win in ten games.

"You're always going to clap your hands when you see these sort of players," Popovic says. "Whether you support City or United, if you love football, you have to love Ederson because it's a pleasure to watch him play."

However true that is (and however much United fans would publicly disagree), the clapping that Blues want to do on Sunday is watching the goals fly into the United net while their goalkeeper may as well be sitting in the stand. It would be fitting for Ederson not just to mark a landmark appearance in a big game but to celebrate it in style with the team performance and result, but - just like the initial decision to replace Hart - nothing is given and even greatness needs a bit of luck.