How East Bengal FC can win Kalinga Super Cup 2025?

The Red and Gold Brigade are the reigning defending champions of the Kalinga Super Cup.

East Bengal FC are desperate to ensure that their 2024-25 season doesn’t end up being a complete failure as they look to defend their 2025 Kalinga Super Cup crown. The Red & Gold Brigade are the defending champion of the competition, having won it dramatically in 2024.

East Bengal FC realize that winning the Super Cup not only guarantees a trophy for them, but also qualification for an AFC competition in the 2025-26 season. They will be desperate to give another go in a continental tournament after having reached the AFC Challenge League quarterfinals this season.

With that being said, it won’t be an easy task at all for East Bengal FC to win this tournament. Similar to them, a flurry of other Indian Super League (ISL) sides are desperate to win the trophy because it guarantees Asian football for the next campaign.

Oscar Bruzon’s side will need to perform at a much higher level than they did in the ISL to be able to reign supreme and defend their title successfully. Here is how East Bengal FC’s road to success in the Kalinga Super Cup 2025 could go.

Defeating Kerala Blasters FC in the Round of 16 will be key for East Bengal FC

East Bengal FC will be facing Kerala Blasters FC in the round of 16 game of the 2025 Super Cup. This comes after the two had met each other twice in the 2024-25 ISL campaign, resulting in quite equal results for both of them.

The Tuskers defeated East Bengal FC at their home ground early on in the campaign, but the Kolkata side bit back with a win at the Salt Lake Stadium. The round of 16 game will be a bit of a ‘tie-breaker’ between them to decide which side is better in this campaign.

Because the Super Cup allows teams to play more foreign players, the Tuskers will use all their assets at hand. East Bengal FC will hope that their foreign core, especially players like ex-Kerala Blasters forwards Raphael Messi Bouli and Dimitrios Diamantakos, can make the difference in this one.

If East Bengal FC are able to play incisive attacking football and execute Bruzon’s press-heavy, possession-based style well, they should be able to break the Tuskers’ defensive resolve and get a compelling win.

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East Bengal FC will need to win another Kolkata derby against Mohun Bagan Super Giant

The thing for East Bengal FC is that they will be playing against rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the quarterfinal of the Kalinga Super Cup if they beat Kerala Blasters FC. The Red & Gold Brigade haven’t really had the most success against their rivals in the 2024-25 season. They’ve lost both the matches in the ISL, being unable to get the better of Jose Molina’s side in either match.

However, East Bengal FC will be facing a significantly weakened Mohun Bagan side if they get to the quarterfinal because the Mariners are expected to rest the majority of their foreigners and key Indian players too. East Bengal FC, on the other hand, have a strong squad full of their important first-team players and that can work in their advantage. East Bengal FC had defeated Mohun Bagan in the 2024 Super Cup group stages, which helped them move into the knockout rounds.

Their hopes of winning the 2025 Super Cup can get a huge boost if they’re able to get to the quarterfinals and get a big win over Mohun Bagan, which can also provide the joy of a derby win for their fans.

The Kalinga Super Cup 2025 semifinals might be challenging for East Bengal FC

If able to somehow make their way into the Super Cup semi-final, East Bengal FC are almost guaranteed to face a stiff test against a top ISL side. They might have to face FC Goa or Odisha FC in the semi-final, with both clashes being equally tough.

The Red & Gold Brigade had a pretty shaky record against FC Goa in the ISL campaign, losing both their matches against them.It was a same case against Odisha FC too, who defeated East Bengal in both the league matches.

That is why the Red & Gold Brigade might hope to face Gokulam Kerala FC or Punjab FC if they reach the semifinal instead. Irrespective of that, it is going to be a very challenging ISL semi-final for East Bengal FC because no cup clash in that stage of a tournament can be easy.

Oscar Bruzon will need to shape his side in an extremely sturdy shape for them to be able to withstand pressure and come away with a result. East Bengal FC need to be sharp on set-pieces and counter-attacks in the semifinal stage to have a big chance of grinding their way to the final.

Come out on top in the final

East Bengal FC played out a very eventful final in the 2024 Super Cup against Odisha FC, which they had to grind out until the extra time to come out on top. The Red & Gold Brigade defeated the Juggernauts through a 111th-minute goal from Cleiton Silva, allowing them to avoid a penalty shootout and reign supreme in the finale.

Well, they can expect an equally thrilling contest in the 2025 Super Cup finale, if able to reach that point of the tournament. The Red & Gold Brigade will face a stern ISL opponent in the final, which could be Bengaluru FC, NorthEast United, Jamshedpur or even Mumbai City. Oscar Bruzon will have to instil a lot of self-belief into his squad for them to impress in the final if able to get to the stage.

They will get a lot of support from their fans, as they did in the 2024 edition as well. But ultimately, it’ll come down to the quality of their players, their defensive resolve and ruthlessness in the attacking phase for them to get a big win to clinch the Kalinga Super Cup 2025 title.

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