'Very proud of my team' - East Bengal head coach Antonio Habas confident ahead of must-win Al-Seeb clash in ACL Two 2026–27
East Bengal will lock horns against Al-Seeb in Kolkata.
East Bengal FC are hoping to get their first win of the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two campaign when they face Al-Seeb at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Tuesday, 3 November (2026).
If East Bengal is serious about finishing in the top two of their group, they can’t afford to lose or draw any of their next three continental games. The main and urgent goal for Antonio Habas’ team must be to defeat Al-Seeb in their next game at Salt Lake Stadium.
In addition to giving them their first victory of the 2026–2027 ACL Two, that will give them some self-assurance. But following the Kolkata giants’ game against Al-Seeb, things will only get more difficult. After that match, they will play Al-Hussein, the most formidable opponents in their groupings, at home. They will then play Al-Shorta on the road to complete the group stages.
In their last group campaign games, Antonio Habas must get his team ready for two extremely difficult matchups. To be able to seriously threaten either side, they will need to be defensively strong and put in a lot of effort as a cohesive team. But East Bengal can’t simply accept a draw in those matches.
In fact, the reigning ISL winners must aim to defeat Al-Hussein and Al-Shorta in at least one of the two games. They should ideally try to gain four of the six points that might be obtained from those games. By doing this and defeating Al-Seeb at home, East Bengal will be able to end the group stages with nine points, which will greatly increase their prospects of advancing to the next round.
Regretfully, the Torchbearers are not entirely in control of their route to the knockout stages. They will need additional favourable outcomes to increase their chances of finishing in the top two at the end of the group stages. First and foremost, East Bengal must win the forthcoming matches against Al-Seeb, Al-Shorta and Al-Hussein.
Ahead of their all-important must-win clash against Al-Seeb in the ACL Two 2026–27 campaign in Kolkata, East Bengal head coach Antonio López Habas and captain Mohammed Rashid addressed the media.
Here is the full pre-match press conference report of East Bengal FC ahead of their clash against Al-Seeb!
Antonio Habas speaks about East Bengal’s preparations.
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East Bengal head coach Antonio Habas spoke about his team’s preparations ahead of the must-win clash against Al-Seeb in Kolkata and expressed confidence in his squad’s physical condition and readiness to win the match.
Habas stated: “We are doing our best to prepare for this match. I like the condition of the squad and the players’ physicality. We have to train more.”
“We don’t have the opportunity to train more. We only have two training sessions. One training session is for recovery, while the other is for tactical preparations. We also have one day to prepare for the next match. This has been our routine over the last month. We don’t have the opportunity to train more.”
“We focus on recovery and preparing for the next match. We don’t have the opportunity to train more. This is the competition. The competition is here. There is no possible challenge,” he added.
Habas on player rotation and home advantage
The Spanish gaffer stated, “The next match is against Al-Seeb. After that, we will have some time. We may have four, five or six days off for the team.”
“Now, evidently, I don’t want to rotate more than 70% of the team. In my experience, when you make five, six or seven changes to the starting lineup, there is a risk that the team won’t perform as expected.”
“First, I like the condition of the players. After that, we can make a decision about the rotation.”
“There is no distinction between foreign and Indian players. We have very good Indian players now, and we have to respect the situation of every player.”
“After that, when we look at the foreign players, we see Lucas Loba and Ikonomidis. Now, the team is practically complete and organised.”
“This player has to wait for a moment before integrating into the team, little by little, as part of the process.”
“I wanted to give them some minutes, but, as you know, there is a difference between playing 90 minutes and 45 minutes. I have no problem with this situation.”
“We have the opportunity to play in front of our supporters. I always say that I have confidence and respect, and obviously, their support is a guarantee.”
“We need the team to have match intensity and anticipation to dominate the space and dominate this tournament.”
“Our idea and our objective are clear. Now, we are heading towards knockouts. It is very difficult.”
“The difference is very significant compared to Al-Seeb, but we are competing 100% under the same conditions as our opponents.”
Habas on ISL vs AFC intensity and mentality
East Bengal head coach Antonio Habas reflected on his team’s inability to convert good performances into victories in the AFC Champions League Two campaign. The Spanish tactician identified a lack of precision and technical quality in front of goal as key areas that his side needs to improve ahead of their upcoming clash against Al-Seeb.
Habas stated: “Apart from the last match, I cannot say that we haven’t had good opportunities in the AFC competition. I am sure that the team has created very good scoring opportunities.”
“Maybe we gave the initiative to the opponent for too long. We have to correct and improve the situation and be prepared for tomorrow.”
“We need precision. When you have five or six opportunities to score but end up winning 2-1, the problem is precision. And precision comes from quality.”
“Sometimes, the quality is affected by nerves and the intensity of the competition, which is extraordinary and different. But, principally, it comes down to the players’ precision and technical quality.”
“You have to look at the situation from a different perspective. When the competition is very demanding, you need to find a way to manage the squad and give opportunities to one or two players in different positions.”
“It’s not just about the best players in the starting lineup. You also have to consider the potential of the entire squad and give other players opportunities to play.”
“I have to work with the entire squad, not just 14 or 15 players. For me, all my players are equal.”
“It depends on the physical condition of the players. “You decide whether one player plays or another,” he concluded.
Rashid on preparations, the game plan and midfield partnership with Dani Ramirez
East Bengal midfielder Mohammed Rashid spoke about the importance of the upcoming clash against Al-Seeb, describing it as a final for the Torchbearers in their AFC Champions League Two 2026-27 campaign. The midfielder also discussed the team’s recovery process, the importance of squad unity, his midfield understanding with Dani Ramirez, and the need to follow the coach’s tactical instructions to secure all three points.
Rashid stated, “Both teams need to get the three points in this game to stay alive in the competition.”
“Our mentality starts from tomorrow. We don’t look at the next two games after that. It’s just tomorrow for us because tomorrow is really a final.”
“It’s either you win or you don’t get the points. We have to approach the game with the mentality of playing a final. Nothing more than that.”
“When David scores two goals, you expect to win the game. But obviously, that didn’t happen. It’s football, so you just have to focus on what’s coming next and improve.”
“Sometimes, when you’re in front of the goal, you get nervous because the situation is extraordinary and something that a player might not experience every time.”
“If a player gets a chance, obviously, he wants to score. If he gets unlucky, he gets unlucky. If the goalkeeper makes a save, then the goalkeeper has done his job. It’s a 50-50 situation.”
“The most important aspects of recovery are sleep and food. To be honest, this is the only way we can recover between these games.”
“The coach has also mentioned that we don’t have enough time to train because we need to recover. There isn’t much time between the games, and travelling also makes it difficult.”
“It’s just a matter of taking care of our bodies outside training. This is where most of the work is actually being done.”
“There is no comparison between players. Each player brings their own strengths to the field. At the end of the day, it’s not about just two players; it’s about the entire squad.”
“When it comes to the midfield, you just have to adapt to whoever comes in. Dani came in, Jeakson was already here, and it wasn’t difficult because we already know each other and understand our strengths.”
“Each player brings their own positive attributes, whether it was last season or this season. At the end of the day, we adapt to each other and make things work.”
“I don’t consider myself the only dangerous player because we have a lot of players who are doing a lot of things. In the last game, Dani, Diego and the entire team did a very good job.”
“The coaching staff studies the game and tells us about the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition and what we need to do. If we follow those instructions, we will find a way to achieve success.”
“This game is really a final. It’s a do-or-die situation. “We have to do our best and fight until the last second of the game to come out victorious,” he concluded.
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