Palermo suffered a defeat. © Palermo FC

Setback in Val Gardena: Palermo loses against third division team

On Saturday afternoon, a friendly match between Palermo and FC Ingolstadt took place at the Mulin da Col sports complex in Santa Cristina Val Gardena. The latter dealt a blow to the ambitious second-division side.

July 18, 2026

From: never

It was a hard-fought match between Ingolstadt and Palermo in Val Gardena. In the end, the spectators only saw a single goal. Ognjen Drakulic scored the winning goal in the 66th minute: Keanan Bennetts' cross deflected off a defender and landed at the feet of the Serbian striker, who calmly slotted the ball into the far corner.

While the match marked the end of the training camp in Latsch for the German third-division club from Ingolstadt, Palermo will continue their preparations for the upcoming Serie B season in Val Gardena until July 30th. Further friendlies are scheduled in Santa Cristina against FC Paradiso from Switzerland (July 22nd, 5:00 PM) and FC Iraklis from Greece (July 29th, 5:00 PM), with a match against 1. FC Nürnberg in Natz-Schabs in between (July 25th, 4:00 PM).

Palermo wants to boost its self-confidence

Palermo aims to build the necessary confidence for the new season in these three matches. The first round of the Coppa Italia takes place on August 17th, where the five-time Serie B champions will face Lecce (1:21.15 PM). The Serie B schedule, meanwhile, has not yet been released: the schedule for all clubs in Italy's second division is expected to be finalized on July 22nd, with the season kicking off on August 21st.

Check out this post on Instagram

A post shared by Palermo FC Official (@palermofficial)

Palermo aims to once again be among the contenders for promotion. After finishing fourth in the 2025/26 season and being knocked out of the playoffs in the semi-finals by Catanzaro (0-3/2-0), a return to Serie A after relegation in 2017 and a subsequent stint in Serie D is considered a major dream.