Napoli v Rangers

It’s impossible to see anything but a comfortable Napoli victory in this match unless there is a freak red card or match-changing event early on. The gulf in form between these two clubs is presently enormous, with the home side arguably the most in-form club anywhere in Europe right now as they continue to dominate Serie A.

Napoli have also been going well in Europe. They have won all four of their fixtures, scoring 17 goals in the process. At home, they have notched four against both Liverpool and Ajax, and a victory in this encounter will put them on the brink of winning the group. Progression, of course, has already been achieved.

On the other hand, Rangers’ European hopes hang by a thread going into this game. They have been soundly beaten in all four of their previous Champions League ties this season, not even scoring prior to their fixture against Liverpool a fortnight ago. Netting the opening goal in that game only made their guests mad and the Reds exploited Rangers’ weak defence to score an astonishing seven at Ibrox. It continued a trend of poor European results, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side losing their four fixtures by at least two goals.

Meanwhile, their domestic form has been worrying in recent games. After struggling to overcome Motherwell in the league 10 days ago, they were held 1-1 at home by Livingston on Saturday, turning in a lacklustre performance. There is a sense these are the last days of Van Bronckhort’s time at the club, and a heavy defeat in Italy could hasten that.