LET me start by stating what an achievement it was for Rangers to get through to the Europa League group stages, particularly given the circumstances by which they got there. Not only did they have four qualification rounds to navigate, but their performance to see the game out against Ufa in Russia with nine men was heroic.

But for all the positives to take from the night, and there were many, surely one major worry that was highlighted once again for Steven Gerrard is that Alfredo Morelos has become a liability in big games. When it really matters, the striker has been found wanting, and he again let his teammates down in spectacular fashion on Thursday night.

I don’t want to be too harsh on the player. He is still a youngster and has lots to learn, and there is no doubting that he is a talent. You don’t get called up to the Colombian national side for nothing.

But there is no doubt that his temperament is seriously suspect, and that he has become a target for opposition players as a result. With his sending off against Ufa though, he has no one to blame but himself.

It was beyond stupid in any context to get ordered off for kicking the ball away and then mouthing off at the referee, but in a game with so much riding on it for Rangers, it was almost beyond belief. He left his team-mates in a massive hole, and it is just fortunate for him that they were able to somehow dig their way out of it.

I believe though that tomorrow’s match against Celtic will represent the biggest test for Gerrard’s Rangers side so far, and that is why I would have serious reservations about picking Morelos for the game. Celtic are a better side that Ufa in my view, and Rangers simply cannot afford another aberration from Morelos that leaves them a man light in such a massive fixture.

If I was in Gerrard’s shoes, I would pick Kyle Lafferty to start up front, and not only through the fear that Morelos might do something daft and let the side down. Even taking that out of the equation, Lafferty’s far superior goalscoring record against Celtic should see him get the nod.

The big Northern Irishman has scored in each of his last four matches against the champions, while Morelos has seemed to freeze in front of goal against Celtic when he has had more than presentable chances, and still hasn’t scored in the fixture.

It would be a huge call for Gerrard to leave out his main forward, but when you take into account his hair-trigger temper going into such a cauldron, as well as Lafferty’s record, then I think it’s a no-brainer.

I actually think it would be worthwhile for Morelos to be given some professional help. Almost all of the top clubs will have young players see psychologists if they have an issue with anger on the field, and I think it could really help him in his future career, because there is no doubt that he has massive potential.

On the other side of the city, Celtic have their own striker issues. Moussa Dembele has gone. A significant fee will undoubtedly soften the blow, but his departure will be keenly felt by Brendan Rodgers.

Then there’s the Dedryck Boyata situation. Harmony within the Celtic squad has been questioned lately with the player’s well-documented injury ‘withdrawal’ raising doubts about his commitment to the cause, with him appearing instead to prefer the

prospect of a move away.

The counter-argument to that, though, would be that after his goal against Hamilton, the whole team – including goalkeeper Craig Gordon – rushed to congratulate the defender as one, and that shows there is unity between the players when they are on the field of play. With Odsonne Edouard still struggling for fitness, it looks like it may be Leigh Griffiths who starts up front, but that is hardly a massive problem. He got his 100th goal against Suduva on Thursday night, and has shown he can score in this fixture in the past. And while he still isn’t as sharp in front of goal as he has been in the past, he is slowly getting there.

There were other positive signs in the Celtic performance, which was one of their best of the season to date, albeit against poor opposition.

It all seems to be building towards a compelling and captivating contest tomorrow, and for the first time as a pundit, I have had to give serious consideration to my prediction for the game. Rangers are a serious threat to Celtic for the first time in years going into this game, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them coming away with a draw.

However, if I was pushed, I’d say that I still just fancy Celtic to edge it. The Rangers side has very little experience of the Old Firm fixture, and I think that could be a telling difference. It’ll be a cracker though.