Starting with a 4-0 defeat away to Ajax, Rangers will be looking to bounce back right away when they host Italian side Napoli at the Ibrox Stadium on Thursday.
Napoli will be looking to extend the advantage in Group A by going for their second consecutive win in the group.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst and his side will be facing the second European heavyweight in their second Champions League fixture in Group A. The focus will be to win their first match in the group and take their first points.
After they were convincingly beaten 4-0 by Ajax, Bronckhorst will focus on tweaking their defensive structure and tactical approach when they play Napoli to improve their chances. Rangers will also look to use the energy and fervour of the Ibrox Stadium under the lights to create a favourable atmosphere for the home side. They will need to be at their best to take something from the clash with Napoli.
Luciano Spalletti was pleased with his side’s performance in their 4-1 win over last year’s finalists Liverpool in Italy. The manager will be looking to leverage this form and momentum when they face the Rangers.
Spalletti will be aware that Rangers’ clash away to Aberdeen was postponed due to the death of Queen Elizabeth while his Napoli side had to play at home to Spezia in a 1-0 triumph.
This means that the Rangers will be well rested and ready for them at the Ibrox Stadium. The focus will be to pick a side that is fresh enough to deal with the high intensity and hard running they are likely to face from Rangers.
What have they done so far?
Napoli thrashed Liverpool 4-1 last week in the UCL clash
Bronckhorst’s side opened the season in flying form, with four wins and a draw. They collected 13 points from their opening five league outings. However, Rangers were convincingly beaten 4-0 in the derby against Celtic. This result meant that Celtic opened a five-point gap at the top of the table.
The 4-0 loss to Celtic was followed by a midweek 4-0 defeat against Ajax in Holland. Bronckhorst will be looking to arrest this bad run of results in the clash against Napoli. This is especially important because Rangers have not played since their loss at Ajax. Bronckhorst will be hoping that the Ibrox Stadium atmosphere will help his players to perform at a high level to improve their chances of taking something from the match.
Napoli is at the top of the Serie A table after making an unbeaten start to their season. They have won four times and drawn twice, collecting 14 points out of the available 18. Spalletti’s men have a better goal difference than Atalanta and Milan, who both have 14 points in their opening six Serie A outings.
Napoli has also made a winning start to their Group A Champions League campaign by beating Liverpool at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Spalletti will be looking to leverage this good vein of form to get optimal performance at the Ibrox Stadium and get the maximum three points they need to bolster their chances of topping the group.
Team News
Despite speculation about his position in recent weeks, Rangers goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin is expected to see off competition from 40-year-old reserve Allan McGregor again on Wednesday – the latter featured in the club’s last Champions League campaign, back in 2010.
Tom Lawrence missed both the Old Firm derby and the Gers’ subsequent trip to Amsterdam with a knee injury, and he could be sidelined until the end of the month; joining Ben Davies, John Souttar and Filip Helander on the treatment table.
Forward pair Kemar Roofe and Ianis Hagi also remain out of action but were omitted from Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s squad for the group stage in any case. Instead, controversial Colombian striker Alfredo Morelos aims to displace Antonio Colak, who has scored seven times since signing from Malmo.
Meanwhile, Napoli must make at least one change to the lineup that started against Liverpool, as Victor Osimhen’s thigh strain threatens to keep the Nigeria international out until October. Therefore, either Giacomo Raspadori or Giovanni Simeone will lead the line for the visitors at Ibrox – and potentially against Milan at the weekend.
After being rested at the weekend, Kim Min-jae and Piotr Zielinski should return to the starting XI, while Hirving Lozano and Matteo Politano continue their contest for a place on the right flank.
Head to Head Record
This will be the very first instance when the two sides play out each other in the history of any competition and hence head to head records are not applicable for this fixture. However, both teams will be eager to kickstart this new rivalry with a win.
Predicted Starting XIs
Rangers (4-2-3-1): Jon McLaughlin; Borna Barisic, James Sands, Connor Goldson, James Tavernier; John Lundstram, Steven Davis; Ryan Kent, Glen Kamara, Malik Tillman; Antonio Čolak
Napoli (4-2-3-1): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Kim Min-jae, Mathías Olivera; André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka; Matteo Politano, Piotr Zieliński, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia; Giovanni Simeone
Prediction
Rangers will be fired up for this clash on Tuesday. Supported by a raucous Ibrox Stadium, Rangers will implement a fast-paced, high-pressing, and hard-running style of football. They will defend deep while using quick counter-attacks to pose a threat to the Napoli defense.
Napoli will implement a possession-based style of football. They will pass from the back and seek to dominate the Rangers. They will use fast passing and their wide players to stretch the Rangers’ defence and create chances. Napoli is favored to win the match and make it two wins out of two in their ongoing UEFA Champions League campaign.
