Napoli will welcome Rangers to Italy this Wednesday looking to continue their unbeaten start to the season.
Venue: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona (Naples)
Key Statistics
Napoli have won their last eleven games in all competitions.
They are unbeaten in ten UCL home games (W7, D3).
The hosts are unbeaten in their last 19 games in all competitions (W17, D2).
Rangers have lost on nine of their 12 visits to Italy in European competition (W1, D2).
They have failed to score in three of four UCL games.
They are winless in the UCL group stage this season.
Head to head
Napoli won the first leg 3-0.
Latest performances in all competitions
Napoli: W-W-W-W-W
Rangers: D-W-W-L-W
Napoli
Napoli continued their impressive start to the season with another crucial win over AS Roma last weekend.
Luciano Spalletti’s side are one of the three teams yet to taste defeat in Europe’s top five leagues this season having won eight and drawn two of their opening league games as well as winning all four of their UCL games this season.
Their most recent win, which was secured courtesy of a second-half goal by Victor Osimhen kept the Naples club’s lead at the top of the Serie A table and also extended their winning run in all competitions to eleven games.
No side in Europe is in the kind of form Gli Azzurri are currently on and no side in the UCL can match the 17 goals they have scored so far.
They have already qualified for the knockout rounds but can strengthen their bid for the top spot in Group A with another dominant win here. Topping the group should in theory give Napoli a more ‘favourable’ draw in the next round against a second-placed side from another group.
Considering they have never progressed beyond a UCL last 16, this may be high on Luciano Spalletti’s agenda.
Possible Napoli starting line-up
Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Juan Jesus, Kim Min-Jae, Mario Rui; Tanguy Ndombele, Stanislav Lobotka, Piotr Zielinski; Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Hirving Lozano, Victor Osimhen.
Injured: Amir Rrahmani, Andre Zambo Anguissa
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Rangers
2021/23 UEFA Europa League finalists Rangers have found the step up to the highest club football in Europe too hard to navigate as they have lost all four of their group games so far.
The visitors have been Group A whipping boys, losing all four games by a combined score of 16-1. No side in the UCL have conceded that number of goals this term, while only FC Copenhagen (zero goals) have scored fewer goals than the Scottish Premiership side.
With their UCL destiny all but over, their attention now turns to at least securing a third-place finish. But even that is subject to them winning this game and the last against Ajax who they hope will lose against Liverpool.
But the chances of that happening look very slim for Rangers, with just two of the last 15 British sides to visit Napoli coming away with a victory (D2, L11).
Four points behind table-topping Celtic in the Scottish Premier League, which was opened after a 1-1 draw against Livingston at the weekend has also demoralised the visitors whose coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst is coming under intense pressure.
Possible Rangers starting line-up
Allan McGregor; James Tavernier, James Sands, Ben Davies, Borna Barisic; John Lundstram, Scott Arfield; Fashion Sakala, Ryan Kent, Malik Tillman; Alfredo Morales.
Injured: Connor Goldson, Tom Lawrence, John Souttar, Ryan Jack, Filip Helander, Nnamdi Ofoborh
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Prediction
Napoli 3-1 Rangers
