How can East Bengal line up for AFC Champions League Two 2026-27 opener against Al-Hussein?
The Red & Gold will play an away game in their first match.
East Bengal are set to kick off their 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two group stages with a tricky away clash against Jordan side Al-Hussein SC on Wednesday (16 September 2026).
The Red & Gold Brigade are poised to play six gruelling matches in the group stages and realise that getting any points from the away trips could be crucial for their chances of possibly securing a top-two place in the group and moving into the knockout rounds.
East Bengal are going to play their AFC Champions League Two opener after a thrilling 4-1 win over Mohun Bagan, which helped them to clinch the 2026 Durand Cup title.
Antonio Habas, however, will have a few absences in the squad, and there is a serious issue of options in their attack. That is mostly because of issues around the visa for Effiong Nsungusi and new striker Ake only recently joining the squad.
Despite that, Habas will hope to make good use of his talented domestic core and the foreign players at his disposal to ensure his side can produce a gritty display against Jordan.
Here, we look at the way East Bengal can potentially line up for their 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two opener against Al-Hussein.
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Goalkeeper: Prabhsukhan Gill
East Bengal may have roped in experienced goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa in the 2026 summer window, but the No. 1 spot remains firmly in Prabhsukhan Gill’s grasp. Gill produced an impressive display in East Bengal’s win over Al-Arabi SC in the ACL Two qualifier and helped them secure the gritty win.
Not only is the Indian goalkeeper an impressive shot-stopper, but his ability to collect crosses from set-pieces and initiate swift counter-attacks adds more layers to his game.
He’ll need to be at his sturdiest best in the ACL Two matches to help East Bengal absorb pressure and secure a positive result against Al-Hussein.
Right-Back: Hardik Bhatt
Hardik Bhatt has adapted to life at East Bengal with relative ease since joining them in the summer and has seemingly become an important member under Antonio Habas.
The ex-Mumbai City FC full-back has shown a lot of positive energy in the full-back role, working his socks off to win challenges and make crucial tackles. He’ll need to be at his best in the continental matches to hold his own against dangerous foreign wingers.
Bhatt has to focus on keeping a tight mark on the players on the Al-Hussein left wing and be accurate with his challenges to help his side keep a strong defensive shape.
Centre-Back: Anwar Ali
Anwar Ali will definitely play a vital role for East Bengal if they are to have a memorable ACL Two campaign. The India international is arguably the best defender in Indian football and needs to justify that reputation with strong performances in Asia. He’ll look to hold together a really sturdy defensive line against Al-Hussein, commanding his teammates to keep a tight defensive line.
Anwar also needs to be proactive in making crucial challenges and clearances inside the box to frustrate the Jordan side and enable his side to showcase impressive resiliency against them.
Centre-Back: Diego Zivulic
Diego Zivulic is East Bengal’s latest defensive signing and comes to the club with many levels of experience behind him. The 34-year-old has actually played in the UEFA Europa League in his career, so he has some knowledge of what it takes to play at the continental football level.
Zivulic will need to share a strong bond with Anwar in the backline and needs to be smart in reading Al-Hussein’s moves to win duels and make timely clearances.
He’ll look to be a protective layer inside the East Bengal half with his smart defensive work to help neutralise the hosts’ threat.
Left-Back: Jay Gupta
Jay Gupta appears to have found his best form at East Bengal under Antonio Habas. It was Gupta’s crucial equaliser that played a big part in the Red & Gold Brigade’s win over Al-Arabi and earned them a place in the ACL Two.
He will now need to justify his selection by being a proactive figure on the left for East Bengal. Gupta has to be smart in maintaining his positioning to frustrate the Al-Hussein wingers and also look to make clever overlapping runs to try and create chances in transition for the Indian side as well.
Centre-Midfield: Mohammed Rashid
Mohammed Rashid has become East Bengal’s leader in their midfield line, being a hard-working and inspiring figure to motivate those around him. The 31-year-old midfielder will definitely need to be at his best in the ACL Two matches to elevate East Bengal’s intensity level.
He’ll look to be a thorn for the Al-Hussein midfielders by hassling them in the midfield with clever pressing and his ball-winning ability.
Rashid also needs to protect his backline to help them sustain pressure in a better manner, and will also look to be prolific in set-piece situations to help the Torchbearers take the fight to the hosts.
Also Read: Why will Mohammed Rashid play key role for East Bengal in AFC Champions League Two 2026-27 campaign?
Centre-Midfield: Jeakson Singh
Varun/ Focus Sports / FSDL
Jeakson Singh’s physical prowess and defensive qualities should make him a valuable member of the East Bengal midfield for the majority of their continental games this season. Singh will need to justify his place in Antonio Habas’ side by being a rugged figure in the midfield, working hard to win his challenges and helping add more defensive reassurance to his side.
The Indian midfielder also needs to be proactive in helping kickstart counter-attacks with clever forward passes and look to be a threat in set-piece scenarios for his side as well.
Attacking-Midfield: Dani Ramirez
Dani Ramirez has been roped in as the creative force in East Bengal’s midfield, and he needs to justify that by being an inspiring figure for them in the AFC Champions League Two. The Spanish midfielder has produced some decent performances so far, but he has to be more consistent with his work in the final third.
Ramirez will need to be unpredictable with his movement in the opposition half and also ping more accurate passes into the box to help his forwards.
He’ll look to be a threat with his set-piece delivery and also aim to get the ball into more goal-scoring areas to help them take the fight to Al-Hussein and be a thorn in their final third.
Right-Wing: Bipin Singh
Bipin Singh’s experience levels should definitely be an asset for East Bengal in their ACL Two campaign, with the Indian winger already having played in such continental competitions in his career. Bipin will look to test the Al-Hussein defenders with his sneaky movement down the right wing, being proactive in trying to get past defenders into the danger zones.
He will, however, need to be spot on with his crosses and also try to sneak his way into more goal-scoring areas to help enhance East Bengal’s goal threat against the Jordan side.
Left-Wing: Chris Ikonomidis
Chris Ikonomidis was roped in by East Bengal because of his experience playing across Asian competitions, and the Australian forward will have a lot of responsibility on him to excel in the ACL Two for the Kolkata giants. Ikonomidis has to be an inspiring figure for them in the clash against Al-Hussein, because he’s going to be their only foreign forward available for it.
The 31-year-old forward needs to be smart in making clever forward runs and getting into the danger pockets in the final third. He will also need to be smart in finishing off chances clinically, as well as creating them to raise East Bengal’s threat, and also need to be prolific on the counter-attacks to put the hosts under pressure.
Centre-Forward: Edmund Lalrindika
Edmund Lalrindika is currently on cloud nine after having scored a hat-trick for East Bengal in their 2026 Durand Cup final win over Mohun Bagan. He is expected to lead the line against Al-Hussein and needs to bring a similar sense of lethality to his final product to trouble the Jordan side.
Edmund will look to be smart with his link-up play and off-the-ball movement to get into the key goal-scoring areas, but he’ll definitely need to be clinical with his finishing to be able to help East Bengal grab a big result in their opening ACL Two clash.
When will East Bengal play Al-Hussein SC in the AFC Champions League Two?
East Bengal will face Al-Hussein SC on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, in their opening AFC Champions League Two group-stage fixture.
What could East Bengal’s expected XI look like against Al-Hussein?
Prabhsukhan Gill; Hardik Bhatt, Anwar Ali, Diego Zivulic, Jay Gupta; Mohammed Rashid, Jeakson Singh; Bipin Singh, Dani Ramirez, Chris Ikonomidis; Edmund Lalrindika.
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