Glasgow Rangers will be hoping that they can make it seven wins in a row when they host their bitter rivals at Ibrox on Sunday.
There is no question that Rangers take more momentum into an Old Firm this weekend than they have done in any fixture between the two bitter rivals since their promotion back to the Scottish Premiership in 2016.
Graeme Murty has overseen six wins in a row heading into Sunday’s clash with Celtic at Ibrox, and Rangers fans would be forgiven for believing that the Gers have a real chance of making it seven victories on the spin when Brendan Rodgers’ side visit.
For the first time in a long time heading into an Old Firm game, Murty has several tough selection decisions to make. While Wes Foderingham, James Tavernier, David Bates, Sean Goss, Josh Windass and Daniel Candeias will surely be involved in the lineup, there are arguably five decisions still to make.
With that in mind, here is a look at the five tough calls that Murty needs to make and our verdict as to who he should pick…
Centre-back contenders: Russell Martin or Bruno Alves
Russell Martin has played regularly alongside David Bates since his January arrival, but Bruno Alves came into the side for the Scottish Cup clash with Falkirk last weekend. The Scottish Sun recently reported that Martin is expected to be fit having previously been an injury concern, and if he is fit, Alves should arguably return to the bench.
Verdict: Russell Martin
Left-back contenders: Declan John, Lee Wallace or Andy Halliday
A few weeks ago, it would have been unthinkable to imagine that Andy Halliday would be a contender to feature in an Old Firm game at left-back. Injuries to Declan John and Lee Wallace handed Halliday his chance, and he has done well. With James Forrest likely to start for Celtic however, keeping faith with Halliday would be a risk. Murty told the club’s official website that John and Wallace are hopefully going to be back for the game. The length of Wallace’s absence arguably means that a bounce game against St Mirren in midweek should not be enough preparation, so taking a gamble on John may be the smartest move if he is fit enough to be in the matchday squad
Verdict: Declan John
Central midfield contenders: Greg Docherty or Jason Holt
With Sean Goss excelling in the middle of the park, it is likely that if Jason Holt is going to get a chance to start, it will come at the expense of Greg Docherty. Docherty has been really promising since coming in and should keep his place, but if Murty wants a little more experience in the midfield battle, Holt may have an outside chance of coming back in.
Verdict: Greg Docherty
Left wing contenders: Jamie Murphy or Jason Cummings
For Jason Cummings to drag himself into contention to start against Celtic, he had to pull something special out of the bag against Falkirk last weekend and he certainly did that. The loanee scored a hat-trick to put some pressure on the previously-injured Jamie Murphy, but it seems unlikely that that will be enough to keep Murphy out of the team if he is fit.
Verdict: Jamie Murphy
Striker contenders: Alfredo Morelos or Jason Cummings
While Cummings shone against Falkirk, Alfredo Morelos had an extremely frustrating afternoon. However, Morelos has been lethal in the league this season and it would incredibly harsh to leave him out. It would also be difficult to leave Cummings out, but what an option to bring on for Rangers when the game reaches its latter stages.
Verdict: Alfredo Morelos
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