How can Mohun Bagan line up for 2026 Durand Cup final against East Bengal?

Mohun Bagan will eye the 18th title

Mohun Bagan are aiming to win their first piece of silverware under Panagiotis Dilmperis when they face off against rivals East Bengal in the final of the 2026 Durand Cup on Sunday, 23 August (2026). Having already enjoyed a flawless campaign in the oldest Asian competition and coming off two gritty wins over Jamshedpur FC and NorthEast United in the knockout stages, the Mariners look to defeat East Bengal once again to win the prestigious Durand Cup title.

Heading into the game, Panagiotis Dilmperis is relatively fortunate to have a near-fully fit squad available. That includes the majority of his foreign core, which can be utilised to elevate the overall quality of the Kolkata giants’ playing style against East Bengal. Knowing the kind of threat that the Red & Gold Brigade can bring to the Kolkata Derby, Panagiotis will look to field his strongest XI consisting of some of the most in-form players that can be influential in getting the victory for his side.

Here, we have a look at the potential way in which Mohun Bagan can line up for the 2026 Durand Cup final against their bitter rivals.

Goalkeeper: Vishal Kaith

There really isn’t any debating this. Kaith remains the undisputed no.1 at Mohun Bagan and he has had a really good start to the 2026-27 season as well. The Indian goalkeeper has been able to keep four clean sheets, being yet to concede a single goal at the 2026 Durand Cup.

He was particularly heroic in Mohun Bagan’s wins over Jamshedpur FC and NorthEast United, being their savior in the penalty shootout to inspire Panagiotis’ side to the Durand Cup final. Kaith will look to continue his impressive form, being a proactive figure in between the sticks to make crucial reflex saves and also turn up big if another penalty shootout is forced.

Right-Back: Abhishek Singh

Abhishek Singh is now pretty well-adjusted to life at Mohun Bagan, having already spent one campaign with them and he looks extra motivated to help them win trophies this time around after last season’s disappointments. Singh has immersed himself to the right-back role really well, producing some gritty performances in the Durand Cup as well.

Singh will need to be an energetic figure on the right-wing for Mohun Bagan in the derby, having to maintain solid positioning and make crucial challenges to nullify East Bengal’s threat through that side and  ensure his side gets the upper-hand in the battle.

Centre-Back: Rahul Bheke

Rahul Bheke has used the 2026 Durand Cup as a platform to silence those who doubted his move to Mohun Bagan in the summer, adding an extra layer of protection and leadership qualities to their backline. The India international has played a key role in ensuring that Mohun Bagan have only conceded one goal in five matches so far, being a vigilant figure in the backline by making crucial challenges and clearances in every game.

Bheke now needs to maintain his composure and proactiveness to keep the East Bengal forwards quiet and ensure his side can maintain control in the match.

Centre-Back: Alberto Rodriguez

Alberto Rodriguez seems to have adjusted to the new centre-back partnership with Bheke pretty well at Mohun Bagan, with the two complimenting each other in the backline. Rodriguez isn’t exactly a type of defender like Rahul, as he tends to be more aggressive in making tackles or going higher up to bully forwards.

He’ll need to be smart with his positioning and commitment to challenges to ensure Mohun Bagan can neutralize East Bengal’s attacking threat, while the Spaniard also needs to be smart with his forward-passing as well as presence in set-pieces to amplify his side’s attacking threat.

Left-Back: Subhasish Bose

For Subhasish Bose, this will be another one of the many Kolkata derbies he’s featured in his career with Mohun Bagan. However, the Mariners captain is equally motivated as he was in the previous derbies to ensure his side can reign supreme in this big clash. Bose has produced some topsy-turvy performances so far under Panagiotis’ system, but he can fans fully compelled with his role with a strong showing in the derby.

Subhasish needs to be smart with his movement and when it comes to executing his challenges, being inch-perfect with this tackles and interceptions to ruin East Bengal’s flow through his side.

Centre-Midfield: Lalengmawia Ralte

Lalengmawia Ralte has looked a pretty good fit to Panagiotis’ system at Mohun Bagan, being a positive energy in their midfield and showing great adaptability in helping them control the key spaces in the midfield. He’s been pretty good in the Durand Cup so far, ensuring his side dominates the majority of possession in most matches and also progressing play to the opposition half smartly.

Apuia needs to be proactive against East Bengal, being clever with his pressing and ball-winning ability to disrupt their movement through central areas and also be smart with his forward passes to help Mohun Bagan torment their rivals on the transitions.

Centre-Midfield: Samir Zeljkovic

Samir Zeljkovic is actually the only player that Panagiotis Dilmperis was able to bring to Mohun Bagan from Punjab FC and the Bosnian midfielder definitely has an in-depth knowledge of how to thrive under the Greek coach’s system. Samir only featured in the previous game for the Mariners, but he should be able to get a start in the derby too. The 28-year-old midfielder will need to be smart with his link-up play to get the ball into the danger areas, while he’ll also look to be energetic in winning the ball in key areas and protecting his defenders during the defensive transitions as well.

Right-Wing: Manvir Singh

Even though Manvir Singh has mostly played as a centre-forward in the 2026 Durand Cup matches for the Mariners, he might have to revert back to his ‘natural’ right-wing role for the derby. Manvir has produced some promising performances in the tournament for Mohun Bagan, scoring four goals in five appearances and being pretty decent with his finishing in multiple games as well.

Manvir will now look to add threat through the right-wing with his speedy forward runs, but needs to be much more accurate with his crossing and finishing to be able to inspire a big win.

Attacking-Midfield: Sahal Abdul Samad

Sahal Abdul Samad has arguably been Mohun Bagan’s best player at the 2026 Durand Cup, having scored five goals and being their top scorer in the tournament. It was the Indian midfielder who scored the winning goal in the opening clash against East Bengal and he looks to be a thorn for the Torchbearers again.

Samad will look to be smart with his quick link-up play to progress the ball into the danger zones, as well as making clever off-the-ball runs to get at the end of more chances and finishing them off efficiently to help his side win another Kolkata derby.

Left-Wing: Liston Colaco

Although Liston Colaco has been quite disappointing for Mohun Bagan in the Durand Cup 2026, failing to score a goal so far in five appearances, he remains one of the Mariners’ most unpredictable options on the left-wing. Colaco will probably get another chance to prove himself in Panagiotis’ system, but he needs to be much more decisive in the key areas.

Colaco has to nail his work in the final third, being smarter with his crosses or passes into the box and accurate with his shooting to add another layer of threat to Mohun Bagan’s attack.

Centre-Forward: Jamie Maclaren

Jamie Maclaren has enjoyed playing against East Bengal in the Kolkata derbies in recent years, as he’s already scored multiple goals against them in key matches. That included the second-minute goal he scored in Mohun Bagan’s 1-0 win over the Torchbearers in the 2024-25 ISL clash as well.

Maclaren has scored just one goal at the 2026 Durand Cup so far and he looks to reserve his best performance for the finale. The Australian forward needs to be smart with his movement to dupe the East Bengal centre-backs. He also has to look to nail his positioning inside the penalty area and latch onto chances perfectly to put them away efficiently and inspire Mohun Bagan to another derby win.

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