In a season that has seen no top-flight men’s football so far, the Kolkata derby has been the savior of Indian domestic football. Full stadiums, flares and raucous cheers have been the norm whenever Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal have gone head-to-head, be it the Durand Cup or the IFA Shield.
In the third edition of this high-profile match, between the seniors on Friday – at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (PJN) Stadium here – the two teams will battle for a place in the semi-finals of the AIFF Super Cup.
Bagan will come under fire in the match after an uneventful goalless draw against lower division Dempo Sports Club. But head coach Jose Molina has reassured that his boys are optimistic of an outcome similar to that of the IFA Shield final against their arch-rivals.
«I remember when we won the IFA Shield and I had just left the field when some fans came up to me to say, ‘We have to beat them (East Bengal) in the Super Cup’. And this was just after we had won a title,» Molina mocked, underscoring the emotional importance of the match among the fans.
«It is not extra pressure. We will do our best and have confidence in our players.»
Molina’s squad rotation – he made eight changes in the draw with Dempo – failed to produce goals and he could return to his familiar attacking duo of Jason Cummings and Jamie Maclaren up front and defensive duo Alberto Rodriguez and Tom Aldred at the back.
Alberto’s two-footedness and goal-scoring ability from defense could be the difference between the teams. New signing Mehtab Singh will be hoping to recover from his mistake which almost cost Bagan in the IFA Shield match against United Sports Club. He will face competition from full-backs Asish Rai and Abhishek Singh Tekcham.
East Bengal, on the other hand, enjoy a mathematical advantage in the match.
After a 4-0 win against Chennaiyin FC, the goal difference (+4) is double that of Bagan, and a draw would be enough to secure a place in the semi-finals, provided Dempo does not beat Chennaiyin by five goals in the earlier Group A match at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim.
In addition, it has won two of the three derbies in all divisions this season. But head coach Oscar Bruzon has stressed there is no room for complacency ahead of the crunch clash.
«If we think the draw will be good for us, Mohun Bagan has enough quality to convert a goal in one match and turn things around. So tomorrow we will play to win,» Bruzon said.
«It doesn’t matter if it’s the fifth, tenth, twentieth or eightieth minute, we will always maintain our level of performance and do something similar to what we have done in all the matches this season.»
RELATED | Chennaiyin FC’s pain at the AIFF Super Cup: A story of inadequate preparation and an unceremonious exit
Bruzon added that he would later decide who would start at number 9 between Hamid Ahadad or Hiroshi Ubuski, but it is more likely that the latter will be used as a substitute in the latter stages of the match to use his height (196cm) for set pieces.
Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh for Bagan, and Bipin Singh Thounaojam and Naorem Mahesh Singh for East Bengal are likely to be the wide players with whom to construct counter-attacks.
Mahesh, with one goal, two assists and a key pass that led to a goal, is one of East Bengal’s most important players on the pitch and Bruzon will look to pair him with Miguel Figueira to dictate attacks that go against the flow of the game.
The last time the two teams met in the 2024 Super Cup, it was East Bengal who had the last laugh before winning the tournament and ending a 12-year trophy drought.
The Red and Golds will be hoping for a similar result this time to overcome their IFA Shield heartbreak.
The match starts at 7:30 PM.
Published on October 30, 2025
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(753x403:755x405)/shark-bite-103025-faf66f99b29a4917a6d9759e92d7d7d5.jpg?w=238&resize=238,178&ssl=1 "Hombre dice que tiburón podría haberme arrancado el brazo en ataque")
