Napoli’s week moves from the lagoon to Fuorigrotta, with a sold-out away allocation for Venezia and a more measured build-up at the Maradona for the return of the Champions League. Around 1,000 Napoli supporters will be at the Penzo on Sunday after every ticket reserved for Fidelity Card holders was taken, giving the team a familiar travelling presence before a demanding sequence of home fixtures.
Four days later, on Tuesday at 21:00, Napoli welcome Bodo/Glimt to the Maradona in the third round of the Champions League league phase. The occasion carries particular weight after the opening defeat to Arsenal: it is the first European night back in Naples since that setback, and the first opportunity to put points on the board in the new phase of the competition.
For now, however, the ticket market has not yet reflected the usual anticipation surrounding a continental evening at the Maradona. Until Saturday night, only the two upper Curva sections had been unavailable. General sale began on Monday, with substantial availability remaining in Curva B lower tier and Tribuna Posillipo. Curva A, the lower Distinti sections and Tribuna Nisida have medium availability, while the upper Distinti are closer to filling up and have limited remaining places.
The stadium is therefore still some way short of a sell-out, although the picture may change as Tuesday approaches. There may also be an effect connected with Villarreal, but the match remains several days away and Napoli’s support has often responded late when a major evening begins to feel close.
The stronger pull may instead arrive next Saturday, when Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma come to Naples for an 18:00 kick-off. Napoli-Roma has long held a special place in the domestic calendar, a fixture shaped by full stands and the heavier atmosphere that comes when two major clubs meet with the season already beginning to take shape.
Sales for that match have already begun for SSC Napoli Fan Stadium Card holders. Membership Premium SSC Napoli members will be able to buy from Sunday, before tickets go on general sale from Monday at 12:00. Between the trip to Venezia, Bodo/Glimt’s European visit and Roma’s arrival, Napoli are entering the kind of week in which results, support and the mood around the club can quickly begin to influence one another.
