Antonio Habas backs East Bengal FC to shine in Durand Cup opener against Mohun Bagan

Boris Singh and Danish Farooq are set to miss the Kolkata Derby

East Bengal FC, who are the current ISL champions, are looking to build on their confidence in their first game of the new season against Mohun Bagan. They are set to gearing up for another Kolkata Derby after a draw in the previous one in the ISL 2025-26 season.

But the scenario has been changed as Antonio Lopez Habas, the former Mohun Bagan coach, is on the hot seat of the Red and Gold Brigade, and he backs the squad after they will miss a bunch of players from last season.

Addressing the media alongside Jeakson Singh, who might be an important figure for Habas’s system, coach Antonio Lopez Habas looks very confident ahead of the big game in the Durand Cup.

Habas urged that they need time to progress well

East Bengal FC head coach Antonio Lopez Habas admitted that the team and his staff need more time to gel for the new season, as all their new players didn’t get into full fitness ahead of the big game, and they all need more time to recover.

He believes that time will gradually bring all the players together as a team for East Bengal, which will help them in the next games, as a 15-day training period is not enough for any team to prepare for any competitive tournament.

“I have had only around 15 days of training with East Bengal. We need time to develop our model of play and our football ideas.”

“I have to know my trainer also, because for the training session it is very very difficult to analyse the trainer, to analyse the model of training, to analyse the tool, to analyse the many things. But my idea is to be solid, to be compact, and I cannot compete with my idea from now on is coordination.”

Is facing Mohun Bagan nostalgia for Habas?

“No nostalgia. We have to think about the present and the future, because the past is the past, I absolutely respect my trajectory in India, with my players and the fans. But now it’s another job, another side, for professional life. I have to fight for my dream now.”

“I am very happy to be in Kolkata. I have spent a long time here and I am proud to work and live in this city. Long time with all people. In the street, across the side. I am very proud for training and for working and living in Kolkata.”

Physical condition of foreign players

Dani Ramirez and MD Rashid are the current two players who are here with the squad and being trained, but they both haven’t recovered from their condition, as Habas stated that he will evaluate the squad after the matchday minus one training.

“We are evaluating the possibility to the player to play in the Durand Cup. It may be going to be difficult. Yesterday he’s coming. It’s very, very difficult.”

“He can’t play 90 minutes. First, the problem with this match is the experience. Because humility, no preparation, blah, blah, blah. And you have to compete, because it’s the derby. Very, very good luck. The player is up, but I don’t… I have to evaluate fundamentally today.”

“We are getting together as a family”: Jeakson Singh

“We are getting together as a family, and at the end of last season we achieved our objective. I’m really looking forward to this new season, to achieve the same objective with more determination,”

“With the coach, and the trophies he has won, it will be a pleasure for me to play under him, for East Bengal. Obviously, for me, we are the favourite team.”

“We didn’t get much time to prepare ourselves, but we trained well and we are ready to compete and get a positive result.”

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