After a 24-hour delay due to arrangements for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, Rangers and Napoli will meet in Glasgow for their Champions League clash on Wednesday night.
The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed for logistical reasons ahead of the state funeral next Monday and there will be no Napoli fans at Ibrox, with a reciprocal arrangement in Naples for the second leg next month to ensure no competitive advantage is gained .
The Gers also had their Scottish Premier League clash with Aberdeen called off at the weekend as a mark of respect following the Queen’s death and, from a purely footballing point of view, that may have done them a favour. Giovani van Bronckhorst will have more time on the training pitch to fix some of the flaws that saw his side lose 4-0 to Celtic in the Old Firm derby and then to Ajax in their first Champions League group stage match for 12 years.
In contrast, Napoli head into the game riding the crest of a wave as they sit top of Serie A, unbeaten in six games and beat last season’s Champions League finalists and one of the tournament favorites this season, Liverpool with 4-1 in their first leg in Naples to blow Group A wide open and secure the perfect start to their quest for the knockout stages.
Here’s everything you need to know before the game:
When is Rangers vs Napoli?
The match is played on Wednesday 14 September, kick-off 20:00 BST at Ibrox in Glasgow, Scotland.
Where can I watch it?
This match will be broadcast live on BT Sport 4, with coverage starting at 19:45 following the end of Shakhtar Donetsk v Celtic. Subscribers can stream the game via the BT Sport app and desktop website.
What’s the team news?
Tom Lawrence has missed Rangers’ last few games through injury and is likely to be out until the end of the month, joining Ben Davies, John Soutar, Kemar Roofe, Yannis Hagi and Filip Hellander on the sidelines, while James Tavernier faces a late fitness test for the Gers. Despite his recent struggles, Jon McLaughlin must hold off veteran Allan McGregor to keep his place in goal.
Napoli will be forced to make at least one change to the team that started against Liverpool as Victor Osimene’s hamstring strain rules him out and Giovanni Simeone will lead the line in his place. After resting at the weekend, Kim Min-jae and Piotr Zielinski should return to the starting XI, but Hirving Lozano missed training this week as he battles flu.
Planned lineups
Rangers XI: McLaughlin; Tavernier, Goldson, Sands, Barisic; Lundstram, Davis; Tillman, Kamara, Kent; Cholak
Napoli XI: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Kim, Rahmani, Olivera; Anguisa, Lobotka; Politano, Zielinski, Kvaratskhelia; Simeone
Odds
Rangers 16/5
Draw 10/29
Napoli 4/5
Forecast
Rangers were impressive at home during last season’s run to the Europa League final, but last week’s win at Ajax threw cold water on their parade and a confident Napoli should be too strong. Rangers 1-3 Napoli.