RANGERS travel to Italy to face Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in the UEFA Champions League group stages.
HOW TO WATCH
The match will be broadcast on BT Sport in the UK, with subscribers also able to stream the game via the BT Sport app and website.
Subscribers to RangersTV can listen along to live commentary of the match HERE, with kick-off scheduled for 8PM BST.
HISTORY
One of the most iconic clubs in Europe, Napoli have lifted the Serie A title on two separate occasions while racking up eight more domestic honours.
The Partenopei last tasted league success back in 1989/90 during the heyday of the late Diego Maradona, with the legendary Argentine also leading the club to the summit of Italian football three years earlier.
Success has been more elusive for Napoli in recent years after several close title tussles with Juventus, although they have lifted the Coppa Italia on three separate occasions in the last twelve years.
CURRENT FORM
Napoli are currently riding an 11-game winning run, which is the joint-longest in their history.
The Partenopei occupy top spot in Serie A having yet to taste defeat in the league this campaign, with their 1-0 away victory at AS Roma last time out moving them three points clear of AC Milan.
The Italian outfit have also sealed their passage to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League after four straight victories in Group A, scoring 17 goals in the process.
MANAGER
Napoli are managed by Luciano Spalletti after the 63-year-old replaced former Rangers midfielder Gennaro Gattuso in the dugout in May 2021.
Spalletti has an extensive career coaching in Italy, making his name after a successful stint in charge of Roma in the mid-2000s. The Italian led the Giallorossi to back-to-back Coppa Italia triumphs, famously converting the legendary Francesco Totti into a ‘false nine’ to suit his attacking system.
The 63-year-old then enjoyed a successful period in charge of Zenit St. Petersburg, lifting four trophies in his first two years in charge of the Russian club, before taking the reigns once again at Roma in 2016.
Spalletti reversed the club’s mid-table fortunes to secure Champions League football in consecutive seasons, before repeating the feat at Inter Milan in 2018 as he ended the club’s six-year exile from Europe’s premier competition.
STADIUM
Napoli play in the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona after the stadium was renamed in honour of the footballing legend in December 2020 following his passing.
The stadium is the third largest in Italy behind the San Siro and Stadio Olimpico and currently accommodates over 60,000 spectators.
Having been extensively renovated in 1989 ahead of the World Cup in the following year, the ground played host to five matches, including the semi-final between Italy and Argentina. Fittingly, Maradona scored the winning penalty in the shootout to seal Argentina’s place in the final.
STYLE OF PLAY
Like Ajax and Liverpool in the group, Napoli typically line up in a 4-3-3 formation under Spalletti.
The Italian side have a midfield trio comfortable in possession, including the highly-rated Piotr Zielinski, while they tend to attack through their speedy and skilful wingers before delivering crosses into the penalty area. Indeed, no team in Serie A has scored more goals than Napoli this season.
The Partenopei have also enjoyed success from a defensive perspective, with the performances of summer arrival Kim Min-jae helping offset the loss of Kalidou Koulibaly to Chelsea.
KEY PLAYER
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has made an instant impact since arriving in Naples, delivering seven goals and eight assists in 15 appearances this term.
Nicknamed ‘Kvaradona’ after the iconic Napoli figure, the Georgian has stepped into the shoes vacated by both Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens with his driving runs and creative threat on the left-hand side.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
Napoli’s visit to Ibrox in September was the first time that the two teams have met in a competitive fixture, with the Serie A side running out 3-0 winners.
The Gers started brightly but the game turned on the dismissal of James Sands midway through the second half. Allan McGregor denied Napoli on three separate occasions from the penalty spot before Matteo Politano scored the rebound to break the deadlock, with Giacomo Raspadori and Tanguy Ndombele adding to the away side’s tally.
PLAYER LINKS
Former midfielder Gennaro Gattuso spent two years in charge of Napoli before departing the club at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
The Italian lifted the Coppa Italia with the Partenopei in 2020 after a penalty shootout victory over Juventus. After leaving the club the following season, the 44-year-old is now in charge of Valencia.
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