Three Indian players to watch out for East Bengal in AFC Champions League Two 2026-27 campaign

The Red & Gold will face the Jordan side in their first outing

East Bengal are poised to begin their 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two campaign on Wednesday (16 September 2026), and they will definitely face some stiff challenges in the competition.

The Red & Gold Brigade were able to qualify for the group stages in inspired fashion, but the pressure levels will soar going forward.

Antonio Habas has been able to form a pretty strong squad heading into the Asian competition. However, he can’t just rely on the foreign players and will need to place key responsibilities on the Indian players at his disposal as well.

While there is no notable limit to using foreign players in the AFC Champions League Two, Habas is unlikely to be able to use more than five foreigners at one time in his lineup anyhow.

That means the Indian players in his squad will have to raise the intensity of their performance levels in order to hold their own against formidable foreign opponents in the competition. East Bengal currently have a number of quality Indian players in their squad, but the roles and performances of a few under the Spanish gaffer could give them a chance to really shine in the ACL Two matches.

Here, we look at the three Indian players to watch out for for East Bengal in the upcoming ACL Two campaign.

3. Jesin TK

One of the East Bengal players who has gotten a real breakthrough into the senior team under Habas has been their proactive striker, Jesin TK. The 26-year-old has been a part of the Red & Gold Brigade system for many years, but he’s been given a real shot of proving himself at the senior level in the 2026-27 season.

Jesin was actually pretty good in his performance against Al-Arabi SC in the qualification clash, troubling their defenders with his speed and clever off-the-ball movement. The Indian striker should get much more playing time in the group stages of the ACL Two campaign, because Habas appears to really value his skill set.

Jesin will need to be razor-sharp whenever playing for his side in the Asian competition, needing to use his smart off-the-ball movement and tendency to drop into the empty spaces to disrupt the opposition attack. He needs to, however, become more decisive in the final third in terms of improving the accuracy of his final passes and also become more clinical with his finishing.

Also Read: When will East Bengal play their next match?

If able to sharpen up his final product, Jesin can be a real asset for East Bengal in the ACL Two, as his unpredictable style can be important to unlocking the opponents’ backline and also troubling them on the counter-attacks.

2. Prabhsukhan Gill

Prabhsukhan Gill has had a really promising start to the 2026-27 season for East Bengal, shining for them in their Durand Cup-winning campaign and also playing a key role in their qualification for the AFC Champions League two group stages. It almost appears that the arrival of new goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa has fired up the goalkeeper to tap into his best and be a reliable outlet for East Bengal in between the sticks.

Gill is likely to be East Bengal’s primary goalkeeper for the AFC Champions League Two matches, and he’ll need to be at his efficient best to be able to help his side cope with the pressure of the matches.

Gill needs to be at his best in terms of shot-stopping in the continental matches, needing to track the opponents’ movement and their shots perfectly to deny them. He’ll also look to be smart about releasing passes forward quickly to initiate promising counter-attack chances to enhance his side’s threat going forward.

Gill has to maintain reliability in goal in terms of denying goals for opponents and motivate his teammates to keep pushing for promising results.

1. Anwar Ali

The reality of the situation for East Bengal heading into the group stages of the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two campaign is that they will probably have to play a lot of these matches on the back foot. They are unlikely to dominate possession in most of the group games and will have to rely on a strong defensive shape to be able to hold their own against the challenging Asian sides.

For that, they will need their defensive general Anwar Ali to be at his commanding best in the backline. Ali already has a lot of experience playing against foreign sides, be it at the club or international level, and that should help him be a strong shield for his backline.

Anwar needs to take charge in keeping a really stubborn defensive shape, ensuring that his defensive teammates stick to their positions and are able to mark opposition forwards sharply. He will need to be a particular rock in the East Bengal penalty area, needing to read the opponents’ moves perfectly to make crucial tackles and clearances.

If Anwar can continue churning out highly proactive and sturdy defensive performances, he should be able to help East Bengal frustrate their opponents and fight their way to earning crucial points in the group stages.

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