Napoli Win Convincingly Over Rangers in September

This time a month ago, the Rangers were licking their wounds after being thoroughly beaten by Napoli in the second round of the UEFA Champions League.

After a tight first hour that saw the Rangers’ Allan McGregor keep out two penalties from Piotr Zielinski, it took Napoli a little over an hour before they were first able to breach the Rangers’ defence. Given the Rangers had conceded four goals in their previous match, this start must have given hope to coach Van Bronckhorst.

However, the false sense of security was short-lived, as after Napoli’s opener, two more late goals followed. Substitutes Giacomo Raspadori and Tanguy Ndombele made it 3-0 to Napoli, adding to the Rangers’ early season misery.

Positives From September That Rangers Can Build On

The reality is, the Rangers are significant underdogs heading into their 26th of October rematch against Napoli.

While a Rangers’ win is a longshot, the Scottish side will certainly hold hope of redemption. One big positive is the fact that they kept one of Europe’s most in-form teams scoreless for 68 minutes. Their defence was solid, particularly the effort from Allan McGregor in the Rangers’ goal, as he saved 70% of the on target shots, including two penalties.

As the rematch between Napoli and the Rangers approaches, the exact betting odds can be tracked with the latest on football betting from betting.com. It remains to be seen just how heavily the bookies will favour Napoli, and whether they give the Rangers any credit for these positives from their initial meeting.

Areas for the Rangers to Improve Ahead of Rematch

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.

For the Rangers, something needs to change in the second half of their UEFA Champions League campaign. Firstly, discipline—it’s no coincidence that James Sands was red carded in the 55th minute, and goals began to flood in just a few minutes later. For the Rangers to be competitive, at a minimum they need to keep all their men on the field.

More shots on goal also need to be taken, with the Rangers out fired 25 to 10 in their match against Napoli, with only three on target. There’s no doubt that the Rangers have the ability to play positive, attacking football, as their recent win over St Mirren illustrated. However, against a quality side such as Napoli, the Rangers will need to trust their defence more and take greater risks in order to create the attacking opportunities necessary to win.