The Kolkata Derby returns on Matchday 19 of the Indian Super League as East Bengal takes on their eternal rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata from 8:30 PM onwards on Sunday.
After long weeks of discussion and debate over where and when the match would be held, fans of the two giants finally have a confirmed time, date, and venue for this iconic clash.
For East Bengal, the onus will be to end their miserable run of form that has seen them pick up only 7 points from the last 24 available to them. Since their Kalinga Super Cup triumph, the Torchbearers have lost 5 of their 8 games and have looked like a shell of the side that defied the odds in Odisha.
Currently placed 10th in the league standings, they are still just 3 points off Bengaluru who are in 6th and head coach Carles Cuadrat will be desperate to see his boys get their act back together ahead of the Derby.
On the other hand, Mohun Bagan Super Giant has headed in a completely different direction since the league restarted and is now firmly challenging for the ISL Shield. Currently 3rd in the standings with 2 points off Odisha and with 2 games in hand as well, the Mariners under new head coach Antonio Habas look like a revitalised side.
They have knocked off 14 points out of the 18 on offer for them since the 2024 Super Cup ended, and are yet to face a defeat in the league so far this year. They are also the joint top scorers in the league alongside Odisha with 31 goals to their name.
Current Form
East Bengal are coming into the fixture with a 0-1 loss away to Goa thanks to a Noah Sadaoui goal, their third loss on the road in successive games in the league. They have scored only once in their last 5 games and have dropped a total of 16 points from winning positions this season. They did, however, win their last home game against Chennaiyin thanks to a Nandhakumar Sekar strike.
Mohun Bagan is coming off a brilliant 3-0 win against Jamshedpur at home, with Jason Cummings, Armando Sadiku, and Dimitri Petratos all hitting gold. Incidentally, it was the first time the Mariners have done a league double over the Red Miners and it underlined just how lethal they look under Habas currently. They have scored a total of 27 goals (excluding penalties) from inside the box in the league this season.
Head to Head Record
The centenary Derby has seen the two sides face each other a total of 396 times so far, with East Bengal having 141 wins and the Mariners having had the last laugh on 128 occasions.
The two sides last faced each other on 3rd February this year as they played out a thrilling 2-2 draw. Armando Sadiku and Dimitri Petratos were on the money for Mohun Bagan Super Giant while Ajay Chhetri and Cleiton Silva bagged the goals for the Red and Gold Brigade.
Team News
Sahal Samad could be available for selection in the Derby
For East Bengal, defender Mohamad Rakip is set to miss out as he picked up his 4th yellow card against Goa in their last game. Midfielder Chhetri, the goalscorer in the last Derby is set to be available for selection though as they return from their bans. Prabhsukhan Gill is currently on 3 yellow cards and could pick up a suspension if he receives one more.
For Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Glan Martins and Deepak Tangri are on 3 and 7 yellow cards each so they need to be wary of suspension. Other than that, there is no injury news as of now from the team so expect Habas to choose his playing XI based on performances in training. There are reports that midfielder Sahal Abdul Samad could be fit as well but no concrete news yet of the same.
Predicted Starting XIs
East Bengal(4-2-3-1): Prabhsukhan Singh Gill; Harmanjot Khabra, Aleksandar Pantić, Hijazi Maher, Nishu Kumar; Souvik Chakrabarti, Víctor Vázquez; VP Suhair, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Nandhakumar Sekar; Cleiton Silva.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant(3-1-4-2): Vishal Kaith; Anwar Ali, Héctor Yuste, Subhasish Bose; Deepak Tangri; Manvir Singh, Joni Kauko, Abhishek Suryavanshi, Liston Colaco; Jason Cummings, Dimitri Petratos.
Prediction
Despite it being a Derby and one having to acknowledge all the uncertainty that comes along with such a colossal fixture, there is no doubt that the Mariners go into the game as favorites.
With Manvir, Colaco, and Petratos in hot form alongside Cummings and Sadiku who got their names on the scoresheet of late too, it is more than likely that Mohun Bagan Super Giant will extend their 5-game unbeaten run.