Durand Cup 2025: Three key battles to watch in Kolkata Derby

Both teams are in top form ahead of the Kolkata Derby.

The biggest game of the 2025 Durand Cup is set to take place when Kolkata heavyweights Mohun Bagan and East Bengal face off against each other in the first Kolkata Derby of the 2025-26 season.

The Salt Lake Stadium will be the place for a highly anticipated battle between the two eternal rivals, and it should be a thoroughly entertaining clash to light up the Durand Cup.

Both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan have been at their dominant best at the Durand Cup so far, sailing through the group stages with commendable wins.

However, they will now face their toughest fight in what should be a feisty derby. Of course, in a Kolkata derby, every single duel and mistake is heavily scrutinised, and every bit of success will get a player some raucous support from fans.

This upcoming Kolkata derby will definitely be decided on the small margins, especially when it comes to the battles between some particular players.

Be it East Bengal’s new arrivals or Mohun Bagan’s reliable weapons, a few particular individuals will be play key roles in deciding how this game goes. With that being said, here we look at the three key battles to watch in the upcoming Kolkata derby.

Also Read: Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal Preview, team news, lineups & prediction | Durand Cup 2025 quarter-final

3. Liston Colaco vs Mohammad Rakip

Liston Colaco has been on fire in the ongoing Durand Cup, being a joint top scorer with five goals in three games. He has been a major driving force for Mohun Bagan, roaring them forward with his blistering sprints and being clinical with his final product as well.

That is probably why locking down Colaco is going to be a major priority for East Bengal, and the responsibility is likely to fall to their hard-working full-back Mohammad Rakip. Rakip has proven himself as a sturdy defender who can mark dangerous wingers pretty well, but he needs to put his pedal to the metal to stop Liston.

The East Bengal defender must be proactive and maintain utmost concentration to stop the forward from getting into empty spaces or creating chances. Liston, meanwhile, will need to be smart with his movement and dribbles to torment Rakip and move into the key areas to cause damage. This should be a pretty entertaining battle, and winning it can prove to be decisive for either team.

2. Jamie Maclaren vs Anwar Ali

Now, this is a battle that basically defined a number of Kolkata derbies in the 2024-25 season. To his credit, Jamie Maclaren proved himself to be an ultimate big-game player last season for Mohun Bagan and scored decisive goals in both the Kolkata derby games against East Bengal in the Indian Super League (ISL).

It’s now time for him to step up to the plate once again to be a tormenting factor for the Red & Gold Brigade. He’ll look to be smart with his off-the-ball runs to escape Anwar Ali’s marker and get into more open scoring areas.

However, Ali has the chance to prove himself as India’s best center-back with a dominant performance against his former side. The Indian centre-back needs to work hard and be spot-on with his game-reading skills to frustrate the Australian forward and stop him from getting to the end of clear-cut chances.

For Maclaren, it’ll be a case of using his experience and predatory instincts to fool Ali and finishing off chances ruthlessly to cause sorrow to East Bengal once again.

1. Hamid Ahadad vs Tom Aldred

All eyes will be on East Bengal forward Hamid Ahadad for the upcoming Durand Cup clash, considering that it’ll be his first taste of the Kolkata Derby. The Moroccan forward has made an instant impact at East Bengal since arriving in the summer window and has scored in both his appearances so far.

He’s proven himself as a real fox in the box, being able to convert his chances impressively and adding that extra bit of ruthlessness to East Bengal’s attacking force. That’s why it’ll be upon Tom Aldred to keep the new East Bengal striker quiet force Mohun Bagan to get the upper hand in the Durand Cup derby.

Aldred has already gotten a lot of success in derby matches against the Red & Gold Brigade so far, and he needs to be at his sharpest to maintain a sturdy defensive line. The Mohun Bagan centre-back needs to use his experience and in-game IQ to anticipate Ahadad’s movement and cut out his chances.

Hamid, meanwhile, needs to prove just how unpredictable and troublesome he can be by nailing his runs perfectly and moving into empty pockets without alerting the defenders. This can end up being a feisty battle, winning which could give East Bengal a huge chance of winning this derby.

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