Champions League: Celtic and Rangers left playing for pride

• Celtic and Rangers remain winless
• Celtic enjoy home advantage over Shakhtar
• Rangers are off to Italy to play group leaders Napoli

The UEFA Champions League group stages continue midweek, with followers treated to another thrilling round of fixtures on matchday five. Scottish football celebrated the return of two teams to the head table of European football, but both Celtic and Rangers have let their fans down so far and will exit the race at the earliest opportunity.

With the Old Firm rivals still searching for their first wins of the campaign, Ange Postecoglou and Giovanni van Bronkhorst hope that elusive victory falls in the competition's final outing of October. Celtic host Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday before Rangers trip to Italy where they'll face the in-form Napoli.

Celtic v Shakhtar Donetsk
Tuesday, 20:00
Live on BT Sport

Celts have unfinished business

The head-to-head stats are perfectly poised ahead of Tuesday's action, with Celtic winning two of their previous five games against Shakhtar. The Ukrainians are also on a pair of wins, with the other ending in a draw. The spare came earlier this season in Poland when the clubs played out a thrilling 1-1 share.

The home team were involved in another slog at the weekend when claiming all three points from a visit to the capital. A dogged and determined Hearts pushed Ange's boys all the way to the finish line in a game that produced seven goals.

Celtic won that match 4-3, with the winner credited to Greg Taylor, who bundled home to spark chaotic scenes in the away end. Postecoglou praised his team for digging deep and finding a way to win in such challenging circumstances.

The Bhoys are favourites for victory, and you can back Celtic at odds of 1.8810/11. A home win would keep alive their chances of finishing third in the table and securing the consolation of Europa League football in the new year.

Visitors arrive fresh

Shakhtar Donetsk hasn't allowed the ongoing war in Ukraine to dampen their efforts this season, and, like the national team, they have been holding their own. It's encouraging to see a group of players leave their worries at the touchline and enjoy the distraction of playing football at the highest level. Donetsk arrives in Glasgow eager to soak up the atmosphere, but they're here to win.

Shakhtar is fit, rested and ready to meet their hosts head-on. They were awarded the weekend off in their homeland in what is a fantastic gesture by the league, giving Shakhtar the best chance possible of going through. Win in Glasgow, and they will be in the running for second place in the pool and a spot in the knockout stages.

The pre-match betting shows users of the Betfair Exchange are happy enough to write off the chances of an away win. Shakhtar can be backed at 4.47/2 for the victory, or you can play back-to-back draws between the pair at 4.131/10. Over 2.5 goals is sure to attract attention after Celtic's showing at the weekend, and that's available at 1.738/11.

Napoli v Rangers
Wednesday, 20:00
Live on BT Sport

Hosts are almost through

Their opponents may already be out of the Champions League, sitting bottom without a point after four games played, but Napoli is all but through to the next phase. The Italians have been in sensational form so far this season and sit top of Group A with a maximum of 12 points already on the board. That tally has them three better than nearest rivals Liverpool and nine above Ajax in third.

The group leaders against the basement boys should be a straightforward result, and if this game follows the trends set by both clubs so far, Napoli should collect another comfortable win. They did just that at Ibrox when silencing the crowd with a 3-0 win back in September.

The goals that day were scored by Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori and Tanguy Ndombele. It's worth noting the first came from the penalty spot on 68 minutes, and the other two were scored on 85 and 91 minutes. All three after Gers had James Sands sent off.

There are no surprises in the pre-match betting with Napoli priced as the red-hot favourites to collect another victory. Back Napoli at odds of 1.251/4 for a home win or play the draw at 76/1. Either result would send Napoli through to the knockout rounds.

Gers have nothing to lose

It has already been a campaign to forget for Rangers, who are stuck hard to the foot of Group A with their stats nothing more than an embarrassment to the club that went all the way to the final of the Europa League last term. In four games, they have failed to collect a single point and have scored just one goal, all while conceding 16, including that humiliating 7-1 at home to Liverpool.

An injury-ravaged Gers turned in another below-par performance on Saturday when dropping two points at home against Livingston in the Scottish Premiership. Livi took the lead inside the opening four minutes of play, and it took Rangers until 91 minutes to get level. They did have chances to snatch a win at the death but were toothless in attack before being jeered off the field of play at the full-time whistle.

Do Rangers have any chance of beating runaway leaders Napoli? It's possible, of course, but just not very likely. The Scots know they are under pressure following a dreadful run of form but also know they don't have much else to lose. Rangers are priced at 1514/1 for a first win. Both teams to score - a winning bet in Rangers' last game against Liverpool is 2.166/5, while over 2.5 goals will do a job in your multiples like 1.558/15.