Rangers face a tough return to action when Napoli visit Ibrox on Wednesday night – without their fans – for our second Champions League match. It was a group that was never likely to provide any respite, however, off the back of two shambolic displays, the team that sits top of Serie A are almost as hard a test as we could have asked for.
Speaking to Radio CRC via The Daily Record, former Gers skipper Lorenzo Amoruso knows only too well what sort of threat Napoli will provide but has given Rangers fans hope ahead of what could be a momentous night as Giovanni van Bronckhorst looks to get his side back on track:
“But the Rangers stadium is very heated and the hosts will fight until the end. But Napoli are superior. The only pitfall of Napoli can be Napoli itself which must understand that they cannot even think of underestimating the opponent. This passage with Rangers is fundamental, because a victory would move Napoli in a good way towards qualification. Rangers will certainly have the boost of 55,000, but Napoli are not new to these situations.
“The second year for Spalletti is almost always the best and that’s what’s happening a bit. The fear is that the team may think they can beat Rangers for the great performance against Liverpool. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you are superior. Napoli is dynamic and impresses with the speed changes in matches.”
Aside from not knowing how big Ibrox is, Amo makes some good points. In most Europa League games they were 50/50 where as in all of the Champions League ties, even at home, we are massive underdogs given the difference in squad depth and quality.
As we saw against Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig though, anything is possible and we need to rediscover the work ethic and courage that saw us not only compete, but run out as deserved winners against top sides.
We need Ibrox at it’s best and Napoli to probably drop a level but, we will have no chance if our players don’t bring a level of performance that we know they are capable of.