Napoli – Rangers

Scottish vice-champions can hold off their opponents in first half of the match

In Group A of the Champions League, one of the two best teams in the current competition will meet one of the two worst teams on Wednesday. Napoli are producing some truly phenomenal and inspired football at the moment. For their part, Rangers can now only be matched by Viktoria Plzen in terms of failure among the 32 teams in the Champions League. The Neapolitans are approaching Matchday 5 with a maximum points tally and an exorbitant average of more than four goals per game for the European cup elite. Rangers have an almost identical average of conceded goals and sit bottom of the group without a single point. The bookmakers offered odds on the match that left almost no chance for the Scots even for a draw. That said, Rangers need to show character at least once in this tournament. Despite four defeats in four encounters, the Scottish vice-champion has a chance of finishing third in the quartet for the Europa League play-offs. Ajax are currently sitting in that position with three points. Despite the weakness in the domestic championship, it is worth noting that Rangers are doing well there. The team is four points behind Celtic in second place. In other words, Van Bronckhorst has a good squad, but the Dutch coach needs to make some changes to his mentality and game strategy. Napoli's form and results this season are certainly no match for their opponents. That said, two factors could affect Spalletti's side's play for the worse on Wednesday. Firstly, the Neapolitans were very 'run down' in Sunday's encounter against Roma. José Mourinho, in his best tradition, put a "bus" at the Romans' goal, which Napoli overcame with great difficulty. Secondly, the Italian league leader secured promotion to the playoffs in the last round, so the players may have trouble tuning in to the group outsider. In any case, it's time for Rangers to look more closely at their defensive performance. The seven home goals conceded by Liverpool should teach the Scots to build the right defensive model against Napoli and, at the very least, keep their goal locked in the first half.