East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan SG set for a title-deciding Kolkata derby clash

The Red and Gold Brigade never won a single derby game in the ISL

The title race for the 2025-26 Indian Super League (ISL) reaches its boiling point as the Kolkata rivals East Bengal and Mohun Bagan SG face each other in their upcoming clash at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata, on Sunday (17 May 2026).

With both sides tied on the same points at the top of the table, a win for either can be decisive in potentially securing the championship for the victor – while the loser would face the bitterest of defeats.

The Stakes

Mohun Bagan SG

Mohun Bagan SG might not have had the most dominant 2025-26 ISL campaign under Sergio Lobera, but they at least have a chance to end it triumphantly. The Mariners realise that winning their next two games would help them win their third straight ISL title, and they will be focused on securing that objective, by hook or by crook.

Lobera will urge his side to maintain their style of dominating possession, controlling the key areas in the midfield and being smart with their innovative build-up play for attacking moves.

He will, of course, need his players to be way more clinical against East Bengal than they have been in recent games. Moreover, he’ll also need the Mariner’s squad to maintain a sturdy shape to frustrate their rivals and not let them play their natural game.

A commanding win for Mohun Bagan SG would potentially help secure yet another league title for them, while a defeat could trigger a catastrophic backlash from the fans

East Bengal FC

For East Bengal, this season serves as the biggest challenge to end their drought of not having won a major national league title since 2004! They entered the ISL in 2020, and six years later, they have the chance of winning the championship at the expense of their greatest rival.

Oscar Bruzon needs to fully motivate his players and have them at their energetic best to be able to grind their way to a positive result in the derby. He’ll, of course, need his side to keep a sturdy defensive shape and make crucial challenges to thwart Mohun Bagan SG’s star-studded attack.

However, the Torchbearers will definitely look to play this game on the frontfoot, being innovative and quick on the attack to take the fight to their rivals.

A win, of course, would be a huge confidence booster and help East Bengal take a step closer to the title. A draw wouldn’t be the worst result, as it would drag the title race to the final day, but a loss could effectively end their title aspirations.

Team News

Mohun Bagan SG are still without the services of Asish Rai, but they should have everyone else available for the big derby.

East Bengal are going to miss a few key players for this clash, with the likes of Saul Crespo and Naorem Mahesh Singh both unavailable.

Head-to-Head Record (All-time)

Matches Played – 407

Mohun Bagan wins – 134

East Bengal wins – 144

Draws – 129

Predicted Lineups

Mohun Bagan SG (4-2-3-1):

Vishal Kaith (GK), Abhishek Singh, Tom Aldred, Alberto Rodriguez, Subhasish Bose, Lalengmawia Ralte, Anirudh Thapa, Liston Colaco, Sahal Abdul Samad, Robson Robinho, Jamie Maclaren

East Bengal FC (4-3-3):

Prabhsukhan Gill (GK), Mohammad Rakip, Kevin Sibille, Anwar Ali, PV Vishnu, Jeakson Singh, Mohammed Rashid, Miguel Figueira, Edmund Lalrindika, Bipin Singh, Youssef Ezzejjairi

Players to Watchout

Jamie Maclaren (Mohun Bagan SG)

Jamie Maclaren has a pretty solid record of playing East Bengal in an ISL Kolkata derby, having scored against them on both occasions in the 2024-25 ISL campaign.

The Australian forward has been a marching band who has dragged Mohun Bagan SG to many positive results this season, having scored nine goals and being just one behind current Golden Boot leader, Youssef Ezzejjari. Maclaren will be eager to outshine the Spanish forward in the derby, using all his experience and lethal final touch to torment the Torchbearers once again.

The Australian striker will look to be smart with his link-up play and off-the-ball movement to disrupt the East Bengal backline. He will, most importantly, be focused on reading his side’s patterns and getting at the end of chances to finish them off ruthlessly to guide Mohun Bagan to another big away win.

Bipin Singh (East Bengal)

Bipin Singh has proven to be a pretty solid signing for East Bengal, bringing a ton of experience to their frontline as well as a reliable driving nature. The Indian winger has four goal contributions (two goals, two assists) in the 2025-26 ISL so far, but he will now look for his best performance in a Red & Gold t-shirt against Mohun Bagan.

Singh actually has a pretty good history of tormenting the Mariners, having scored crucial goals against them in the ISL playoffs in the past when he played for Mumbai City.

He’ll look to reawaken that clinical beast inside himself at the Salt Lake Stadium, using his clever movement down the wide areas to stretch their backline and make their defenders uncomfortable.

Not only will Bipin be urged to deliver quality crosses into the middle, but also to make clever off-the-ball runs to get to the end of chances and convert them efficiently to be able to help East Bengal pip their rivals to the title.

Did you know?

• The three most efficient passers in the 2025-26 ISL are all from Mohun Bagan SG, with Apuia (78.4) leading the tally and Mehtab Singh and Alberto Rodriguez behind him.
• East Bengal have scored 27 goals in 11 ISL matches in the current campaign, the most for any other teams.
• Jamie Maclaren has massively overperformed his 5.4 xG (expected goals), with nine goals in the 2025-26 ISL.
• East Bengal are yet to defeat Mohun Bagan in an ISL match since the two started playing in the competition from 2020.

Broadcast Details

The Kolkata Derby between Mohun Bagan SG and East Bengal will take place on Sunday, 17 May (2026) at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata. The match will commence at 7:30 PM IST. It will be shown live on Sony Ten 2 & Sony Ten 2 HD, as well as be live-streamed on FanCode.

Outside India, in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, the Indian Super League (ISL) 2025–26 matches will be live-streamed on the FanCode app.

Begin Watch is the official broadcast partner for the Indian Super League (ISL) 2025–26 season in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain.

In all other remaining countries, live streaming will be available on the FanCode YouTube channel.

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