Ritiro Castel di Sangro surprise: Napoli start early, C’è Lucca
On day 12 of the 2026 pre‑season Ritiro at Castel di Sangro, SSC Napoli under Massimiliano Allegri surprised supporters by taking the field thirty minutes before the scheduled 18:00 start, with Lucca featuring after missing the previous session. The early appearance was billed as a Sorpresa for fans.
Early kickoff and player lineup
The afternoon drill began at 17:31, when the squad entered the pitch ahead of the timetable. The session focused on attacking from the flanks into a compact defence, and the early start was highlighted by the presence of young orange‑shirt players Folorunsho and Hojlund.
Several regulars were absent: Pereyra, Beukema, Obaretin, Garofalo, Barido’, Contini, Pugliese and Ngonge did not take part. Returning to the field were Milinkovic‑Savic, who missed the previous day’s work, and goalkeeper Alex Meret.
Among the spectators was Mario Giuffredi, agent of Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Catanzaro defender Costantino Favasuli and teammates Politano, Vergara and Marianucci. The curva sang a chorus of “tanti auguri” to Allegri, who acknowledged the crowd with a wave.
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All events were streamed live by CalcioNapoli24 TV on channel 79 (DTT in Napoli, Caserta, Avellino and Benevento) and channel 84 in Salerno, as well as on the CalcioNapoli24 YouTube channel. Journalists Claudio Russo, Pasquale Edivaldo Cacciola and Giuseppe Ferrante provided commentary, while photographer Ciro De Luca captured images in real time.
The programme also listed the full TV schedule for the camp, noting that the 18:00 live broadcast would feature press conferences, friendly matches and open training sessions. Gentili lettrici e lettori di CalcioNapoli24 were invited to follow every moment.
Earlier on Tuesday 11 August, the club announced that 33 players had been called up for the Castel di Sangro (AQ) retreat. The announcement appeared on under the heading “ ” and was accompanied by the line “Stampa A− A+”.