TWO sides in contrasting runs of form will do battle in the Champions League on Wednesday night, as Rangers welcome Napoli to Ibrox.
After suffering a 4-0 thumping in the first Old Firm derby of the season, Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side followed it up with another loss by the same scoreline against Ajax upon their return to Europe's top table last midweek.
That pair of bruising defeats was first time the Light Blues have leaked four goals in successive games since 1982 and they have since spent the last week stewing following the postponement of all matches in Scotland at the weekend.
Rangers showed last season how important the backing of the Ibrox faithful can be and they will need to draw inspiration from a passionate home crowd if they are to overcome Serie A pacesetters Napoli on Wednesday night.
The Azzurri kick-started their Champions League campaign in spectacular fashion, as Luciano Spalletti's side dished out a 4-1 mauling to Liverpool last midweek.
That triumph, coupled with Saturday's 1-0 win over Spezia, has left Napoli dreaming of securing a first Scudetto since the days of Diego Maradona.
Outright Betting
Despite avoiding defeat in nine of their last 10 European matches on home turf, Rangers head into Matchday Two as 18/5 (UniBet) underdogs while a share of the spoils is an unfancied 3/1 (Bet 365).
Napoli, who have yet to taste this season, arrive in Govan as odds-on favourites at 5/6 with Betfred.
Betting Angles
Napoli will have their backers at the aforementioned price, but I'm more drawn to the 4/5 on offer with Bet 365 for the visitors to score two or more goals on Wednesday night.
As already alluded to, Luciano Spalletti's side have made a flying start to the season and another victory here could move them to the summit of the section given that something has to give between Liverpool and Ajax at Anfield on Tuesday night.
While there is a sufficient body of evidence to demonstrate that Rangers are capable of keeping this contest competitive, the Italians will smell blood and they will be hoping they can pile more misery on Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men.
The Ibrox outfit have looked a shadow of the side that reached the Europa League final last term and the recent drubbings they have suffered can be attributed to their defensive vulnerability.
That doesn’t bode well for the visit of a Napoli side that hit Liverpool for four last week, not to mention the Azzurri are Serie A's top scorers this season after six rounds of fixtures.
Given the attacking threat that Napoli carry, coupled with the fact that Gers have shipped eight goals across their last two games, backing the in-form Italians to hit two or more goals on Wednesday night makes appeal at 4/5 (Bet 365).
Elsewhere, I’ll also dip into the anytime goalscorer market and have a speculative punt on Napoli's Kim Min-jae to score anytime at 11/1 with Bet 365.
The South Korean centre-half has already chipped in with two goals this term and he could get more joy here given that leaking goals from set pieces has become the Light Blues achilles heel this season.
This UEFA Champions League match between Rangers and Napoli will be played on Sep 14, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Rangers vs Napoli prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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