Decisions, decisions.
Both Gio van Bronckhorst and Ange Postecoglou will be wrestling with some major calls as the clock countdown to Sunday’s potentially decisive Old Firm showdown.
For the Rangers boss, wiggle room is in short supply with a defeat all but certain to end their 12-month reign as champions.
Celtic may be in the driving seat with a three-point lead and superior goal difference but Parkhead gaffer Postecoglou won’t want to offer his side’s rivals any encouragement as the finish line comes into sight.
So the pressure is on both to get their tactics and team selections bang on the money as they chase a guaranteed £40million Champions League bounty.
For Sunday’s hosts, however, Alfredo Morelos’ recall to the Colombia squad appears to have come at a hefty cost after the Gers striker was pictured on crutches at Glasgow Airport yesterday.
But Steven Pressley reckons Morelos’ apparent misfortune on the injury front could prove to be a huge stroke of luck for Van Bronckhorst.
Elvis - who famously starred for both clubs before moving into management - told Record Sport : “The most recent Old Firm game was decided by domination of the ball and Rangers’ lack of ability to pressure the game high.
“That, in my opinion, is a big part of Celtic’s success story this season. They have this ability to dominate possession, force teams to drop deep while they continuously build pressure.
“To stop that, you have to be able to halt Celtic getting into their rhythm by pressuring them high up the pitch.
“So I think that will be a pivotal aspect if Rangers are to get a result.
“I’ve seen the pictures of Morelos on crutches and I think counter-intuitively that could be a blessing in disguise for Rangers.
“I’m not talking about from an attacking sense as obviously every team would miss a player of his quality.
“But from the perspective of Rangers being able to put more pressure on Celtic, for this particular game it might suit them to go with Kemar Roofe.
“One of Morelos’ failings is his ability to really pressure the ball when out of possession. He’s not a pressing player.
“Roofe, on the other hand, definitely is and that’s why I think this could be game which really suits him if Rangers decide to go after Celtic. With Morelos in your team, I think that’s difficult to do.”
Gers were blown away in February as Reo Hatate inspired a rampant first-half display that had a 3-0 victory sealed by the break.
The re-introduction of Ryan Jack at half-time allowed Gers to steady the ship as they avoided a total rout.
With the Scotland midfielder now fully recovered from his year-long injury struggles, Pressley says Jack’s influence to make Gers an altogether tougher nut to crack this time.
He said: “The key when you face a side as fluid as Celtic is to have legs in your team and the ability to match them across the pitch.
“Ryan Jack certainly gives you that and you did see at Celtic Park that Rangers looked a lot more competitive with him on the pitch.”
But what about Aaron Ramsey?
The on-loan Juventus ace’s deadline day arrival drew a throng of supporters to Edmiston Drive but the Welshman has spent most of his time in Glasgow sitting among the punters instead of entertaining them on the pitch.
He has, however, racked up a couple of decent run outs against Dundee plus last week’s 90-minute Wales run out in their World Cup crunch with Austria.
So would Elvis trust him to start this weekend?
“I’d be disappointed if Rangers weren’t seriously considering starting Ramsey this time,” said the former Scotland defender.
“Respectfully, they’ve not signed him to play Dundee.
“He’s here to make the difference in Europe and against Celtic - so I’d fully expect him to start.
“And I think he can play a part in Rangers’ pressing game. A big part of his ability down the years was his ability to cover the ground so if he’s fit enough to play 90 minutes for Wales you’d have to think he can do it on Sunday.
“Rangers also need to think about how they can impose themselves on Celtic and Ramsey is a player who can definitely open doors.”
Celtic may have started slowly under Postecoglou as was left to pick up the pieces of last year’s catastrophic campaign.
But they’re now 31 games unbeaten in domestic action and Pressley expects the Aussie to stick by the tactics that have put him on course for a sensational debut treble.
“Celtic’s league form has been so impressive,” he said.
“The one thing about Ange is that he’s very fixed on their style of play. He’s very consistent with how the team operates.
“He looks like a manager who fully believes in his players and trusts them to do as he asks.
“What we’ve seen at Celtic already is what we’ll get at the weekend.
“It’s important to have a consistent message but that doesn’t mean you can’t make slight alterations.
“For Celtic it will be about which players they deploy in certain areas to hurt Rangers.
“That might come down to which striker he uses. Giorgos Giakoumakis has been in fantastic scoring form of late and he’s very effective when Celtic dominate the ball. But he doesn’t offer much in behind.
“For me, this game is more suited to movement so Ange might be more tempted to go with Daizen Maeda up front.
“Whatever he does with personal, though, the tactics will remain the same.”
So here’s the million dollar question - who wins?
“The game will be decided by how Rangers play without the ball.
“Celtic’s performances in Europe have exposed an Achilles heel when it comes to defending, especially on transitions.
“You don’t tend to see it so much in their domestic games because they have so much of the ball here.
“But if Rangers can exploit that them I can see them getting a narrow win. That’s down to the significant of the game, which they can’t afford to lose, and their recent record in big games at ibrox.
“They’ve proved in the last few months they are capable of getting results at home when it matters.”
