After a 24-hour delay due to preparations for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, Rangers and Napoli will meet in Glasgow for their Champions League clash on Wednesday evening.
The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday but pushed back for logistical reasons ahead of the state funeral next Monday and there will be no Napoli fans present at Ibrox, with a reciprocal arrangement in Naples for the return fixture next month to ensure no competitive advantage is gained.
The Gers also had their Scottish Premiership clash with Aberdeen cancelled at the weekend as a mark of respect following the Queen’s passing and, from a purely footballing perspective, that may have done them a favour. Giovanni van Bronckhorst will have had more time on the training pitch to correct some of the deficiencies that have seen his side lose back-to-back games 4-0 - to Celtic in the Old Firm derby and then to Ajax in their first Champions League group stage match for 12 years.
By contrast, Napoli head into the fixture riding the crest of a wave as they sit top of Serie A, undefeated after six games, and thumped last season’s Champions League finalists, and one of this season’s tournament favourites, Liverpool 4-1 in their opener in Naples to blow Group A wide open and give themselves the perfect start in the quest for the knockout stages.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the game:
When is Rangers vs Napoli?
The match takes place on Wednesday 14 September with an 8pm BST kick-off at Ibrox in Glasgow, Scotland.
Where can I watch it?
This game will be broadcast live on BT Sport 4, with coverage getting underway at 7.45pm following the conclusion of Shakhtar Donetsk vs Celtic. Subscribers can stream the game via the BT Sport app and desktop website.
Confirmed line-ups
Rangers XI: McGregor; Tavernier, Sands, Goldson, Barisic; Lundstram, Jack, S Davis; Arfield, Morelos, Kent
Napoli XI: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Kim Min-jae, Mario Rui; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Simeone, Kvaratskhelia
Odds
Rangers 16/5
Draw 29/10
Napoli 4/5
Prediction
Rangers were impressive at home during last season’s run to the Europa League final but last week’s Ajax thrashing poured cold water on their parade and a confident Napoli should be too strong. Rangers 1-3 Napoli.
