Red Star arrived to Italy unusually early, on Thursday, 23 May 1991, six full days ahead of the final. The team set up base in the town of Monopoli, 40 kilometres (25 mi) south-east of Bari. There they stayed in Il Melograno Hotel and trained at the facilities of A.C. Monopoli. Due to a lot of interest from richer European clubs already being raised for the future services of young Red Star players, the club management tried to ensure its footballers are fully focused on the task at hand. The players were placed in semi-quarantine immediately upon arrival to Italy, which meant being separated from wives and girlfriends without ability to receive incoming phone calls in hotel rooms, though able to make outgoing calls.