Solar-like oscillations have been observed in numerous red giants from ground and from space. An important question arises: could we expect to detect non-radial modes probing the internal structure of these stars? We investigate under what physical circumstances non-radial modes could be observable in red giants; what would be their amplitudes, lifetimes and heights in the power spectrum (PS)? Using a non-radial non-adiabatic pulsation code including a non-local time-dependent treatment of convection, we compute the theoretical lifetimes of radial and non-radial modes in several red giant models. Next, using a stochastic excitation model, we compute the amplitudes of these modes and their heights in the PS. Very distinct results are found depending on the evolutionary status of the star.