When quizzed on the Antonio Colak and Alfredo Morelos starting dilemma before last week’s game at Anfield, Giovanni van Bronckhorst made his call sound simple.

“The decision is not difficult. You look at the opponent, how you want to play and what type of game you expect. Then we choose the best option. They are two different kinds of strikers but we will always look at the game ahead.”

Taking him at his word, the Rangers manager has already selected which of the two will lead the line against Liverpool in tonight’s Champions League tie at Ibrox. 

In one corner you have Colak, Rangers’ in-form striker scoring at a rate of 1.35 league goals per 90 and showing no signs of slowing down. In the other you have Morelos, Rangers’ record European goalscorer, so often the difference-maker on nights like tonight.

Last week, van Bronckhorst selected the latter using the quoted checklist above; looking at the opponent, game and expectation. Who starts by the same metrics tonight?

1. 'You look at the opponent'

Jurgen Klopp admitted “deeper concerns” when speaking about his side’s “real problems” on Sunday. A 3-2 defeat against Arsenal does not only leave Liverpool 14 points off the top of the table after just nine matches. It also further exposed systemic defensive issues that have hamstrung the side all season and saw three key players, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz, suffer injuries that rule them out of tonight’s game.

What’s more, it keeps last year’s Champions League finalists in a rut they’d started to shake off last week against Rangers with a new system and improved performance. Liverpool are favourites but fragile, perhaps more vulnerable than at any point in recent years. Tactically, they’ve looked susceptible to balls over the top and direct attacks.

Morelos is the more physically imposing of tonight’s two options, capable of getting his team up the park by winning duels. Colak, still a strong central option, is perhaps less likely to upset the defence outside the box, but far more potent inside it.

The Croatian has scored 10 goals from 4.39xG in the league. On one hand, this demonstrates an overperformance that is likely to regress to the norm at some point. However, it also confirms what the eye sees, a confident Colak finishes instinctively like nobody else in the squad. If presented with a chance he is more likely to finish, but that in and of itself feeds into the second element of van Bronckhorst's criteria. How do Rangers want to play and how does that inform his decision?

2. 'You look at how you want to play'

Colak’s return rate is the reason he’s constantly started in domestic competition to this point, while Morelos’ all-around game explains his inclusion against Napoli and at Anfield last week. Those arguing Colak’s case are right to claim he’s the man you want in the box, just as those on the other side of the fence are justified in their conviction that Morelos' range of attributes and constant delivery at this level means he has to be included. The Colombian’s best performances have come in midweek games under the lights, with goals often more certain than during league matches.

READ MORE: Could Rangers play Alfredo Morelos and Antonio Colak as a strike partnership?

Rangers will hope to have more territory and possession than they did in the reverse leg. In Europe, their man-for-man style without the ball fares better at home and a recent match against Napoli is proof that van Bronckhorst will push his team high up the pitch despite the visitor’s clear threat when playing into space.

That slightly negates the role of tonight’s forward outside the box in comparison to last week’s game. As the Rangers Review wrote last month, Colak was averaging three times fewer the number of open play passes Morelos had attempted the season before in the Scottish Premiership. What’s more, the Colombian’s expected assist per 90 last season of 0.22 far outweighs Colak’s tiny 0.02 this campaign. One of the two forwards is far more likely to impact the game outside the penalty box and that’s why Morelos played in the away leg. It was a game suited to his strengths. 

But domestically, particularly at Ibrox, that has not proven to be an issue for Colak. This team have lacked a player solely focused on scoring goals and they're reaping the benefits of now having one.

3. 'You look at what type of game you expect'

Van Bronckhorst's side were aggressive in their last Champions League home tie with Napoli and at the time of James Sands’ red card, had shaded the chances created (1.12 to 0.58xG). At face value, this plays into the narrative that Colak, a better finisher, should start in a game where chances are more frequent. For context, Rangers created just 0.54xG in their away matches with Liverpool and Ajax combined.

However, anyone who watched the tie with the Italian outfit will remember how important Morelos was in getting the ball forwards from back to front.

Allan McGregor went long with 29 of 37 passes, demonstrating the side’s tendency to play over the press and opt for direct ball progression as shown below. 

Rangers Review:

Only 54 percent of those passes were a success. Of all 32 teams that played on matchday two, Rangers had the second-lowest pass completion rate at 72 percent.

It was a tactic used against RB Leipzig in the Europa League semi-final and during a 1-1 draw at Parkhead last season and likely to be repeated tonight, given McGregor's limitations when playing out from the back and the risk playing out from the back against Liverpool. Morelos has averaged 3.07 aerial wins per 90 in the Champions League this season compared to Colak’s 1.93. Even when he didn't get first contact against Napoli he put off his marker, got something on the ball and provided a constant target.

On the flip side, how confident would you be of Colak finishing the chance his teammate had inside a minute? He’s scored more difficult goals this season.

Rangers Review:

Morelos may boast a superior European pedigree but can van Bronckhorst really omit a striker who has scored 13 goals by October?

His decision will reveal the type of game he expects tonight.