“I’m thinking about winning, not scoring goals”- East Bengal head coach Antonio Habas ahead of Chennaiyin clash in ISL 2026-27
East Bengal will face Chennaiyin next in an away game in Chennai.
East Bengal FC head coach Antonio López Habas addressed the media along with defender Diego Zivulic ahead of his team’s upcoming away fixture against Chennaiyin FC in the MG Indian Super League 2026-27 season.
When the Red and Gold Brigade take on the Marina Machans in Chennai, they hope to build on their strong start to the ISL season. East Bengal have shown their offensive prowess by scoring nine goals in their first two league games.
Habas stressed that his main goal is to secure all three points rather than concentrate on scoring goals, but he anticipates a challenging match against Chennaiyin FC.
East Bengal will now turn their attention towards Chennaiyin FC as they look to maintain their positive momentum in the ISL. Habas will hope that his players can deliver another strong performance and return from Chennai with all three points.
The Spanish strategist also talked about his strategy for away games, squad selection, Lucas Loba’s possible involvement, Edmund Lalrindika’s current goal drought, Anwar Ali’s injury, and the distinctions between the AFC Champions League Two and the ISL.
The following are the key takeaways from the pre-match press conference featuring Antonio Habas and East Bengal’s Croatian defender Diego Živulić ahead of their away encounter against Chennaiyin FC.
East Bengal’s transition from continental to domestic football
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When asked about the challenges of transitioning from high-intensity AFC Champions League Two matches to domestic league fixtures, Habas acknowledged that the two competitions are different but emphasised that the fundamentals of football remain the same.
East Bengal head coach said: “Logically, they are two different competitions, but it’s football. The same components, the same infrastructure, the same everything. Evidently, in the AFC, the level is the highest, but Chennaiyin also have a very good level. It’s a very good match for us.”
Habas prioritises winning over scoring goals
East Bengal have enjoyed an impressive start to their ISL campaign, scoring nine goals in their first two matches. When asked whether this attacking form would provide the team with a psychological advantage against Chennaiyin FC, Habas insisted that every match presents a different challenge.
The East Bengal head coach acknowledged Chennaiyin’s quality and organisation, making it clear that his primary focus is on securing victory rather than scoring a large number of goals.
Antonio Habas stated: “I think all matches are different in the ISL as well. We have played two matches where the goal difference is important, but I think that against Chennaiyin, it will be a very difficult match because Chennaiyin have a good team, good organisation and good players.”
“For that, I don’t think about the possibility of scoring too many goals. I’m thinking about the possibility of winning. Is it possible for us to win the match against the opponent? Because it’s not easy for us. I know the goals, I know the opponent, and the opponent have a very good team and very good players.”
Habas explains East Bengal’s approach to home and away matches
East Bengal have shown encouraging performances in away fixtures this season. Asked whether their away record would provide additional confidence ahead of the Chennaiyin encounter, Habas explained that he does not believe in making significant changes to his team’s overall approach based on the venue.
The Spaniard maintained that his team prepares for home and away matches in a similar manner, although certain tactical adjustments may be necessary depending on the opposition.
Habas stated: “We are a team that play the same at home and away because I don’t want to differentiate between playing at home and playing away. This has always been my idea with my team.”
“There is no change in the system and no change in the structure. Maybe there are changes in the approach, such as high pressing, medium pressing or low pressing, but normally we prepare for matches in a similar way, both at home and away.”
Habas explains his foreign player selection in ACL Two
East Bengal did not utilise all their foreign players in their recent AFC Champions League Two fixtures. When asked about the reasoning behind his selection decisions, Habas explained that his starting eleven is determined by the players’ current fitness and potential.
He also indicated that players who have not featured in previous matches could get opportunities in upcoming fixtures.
The Spanish Gaffer mentioned: “Evidently, I always choose the starting eleven based on the fitness and potential of the players at that particular moment. In some matches, a particular player might not play, but in another match, he might.”
Habas provides an update on Loba’s potential involvement
East Bengal forward Aké Loba has not consistently featured in the starting eleven in recent matches. When asked whether the two forwards could start against Chennaiyin FC, Habas acknowledged their improvement and suggested that they could receive more playing time in the future.
Habas answered: “Loba has the possibility to play more as a team player, but he has improved over the last month. I have the idea of giving him minutes in the future as well.”
Habas backs Edmund Lalrindika despite his recent goal drought
Edmund Lalrindika has struggled to find the back of the net in recent matches following East Bengal’s encounter against Churchill Brothers. Asked about the forward’s missed opportunities and recent lack of goals, Habas expressed his confidence in the youngster.
The East Bengal head coach insisted that not scoring in every match does not diminish Edmund’s quality as a player. He also acknowledged the demands placed on the forward, considering his involvement with the national team and his deployment in different positions.
Habas said: “I have big confidence in Edmund because he is a very good player. Maybe Edmund plays well but does not score a goal. It is not possible to score a goal every day.”
“Edmund is a fantastic player, and maybe he has played too many matches for the national team or in different positions. I understand Edmund’s performance as well,” he also added.
Also Read: Chennaiyin FC vs East Bengal Preview: Predicted Lineup, Team News | ISL 2026-27
Habas responds to Anwar Ali’s injury concern
East Bengal defender Anwar Ali recently suffered a hamstring injury during the AFC Champions League Two fixture against Al-Seeb. Asked about the latest update on the defender’s injury, Habas did not provide a specific medical update but emphasised the importance of other players stepping up when teammates are unavailable.
The Spaniard stated: “My idea is that whenever there are players unavailable, others get the chance to step up.”
Živulić on Anwar Ali’s injury, defensive depth and East Bengal’s defensive understanding
Asked about Anwar Ali’s injury and the possibility of it affecting East Bengal’s defensive stability against Chennaiyin FC, Živulić acknowledged the defender’s importance but expressed confidence in the quality and depth of the squad. He also highlighted the importance of team understanding, consistency and collective responsibility in maintaining defensive performances.
“Of course, Anwar is a very valuable player for our team, but I think we have really, really good quality to replace his absence. The coach will decide who will play, but it doesn’t matter who is playing. The most important thing is to do everything possible to not concede any goals, if possible. I think we have enough quality to fulfil this objective.”
Discussing the team’s mentality and ability to cope with injuries, he added:
“Injuries are part of professional football. Today, maybe he gets injured; tomorrow, someone else might get injured. I think the biggest strength of a team is its ability to perform very well even when one of its most important players is missing.“
“I think the team is strong enough. The most important thing is the team’s performance, and I’m sure the team can perform very well even with any of our players missing. This is the most important thing for a group and for the mentality of our team.”
Živulić reflects on East Bengal’s defence
East Bengal have scored nine goals and conceded just once in their opening two ISL matches. Asked about the understanding between the defenders and how their rapport contributes to the team’s performances, Živulić emphasised the importance of maintaining high standards. He also explained that mistakes are punished more quickly in continental competitions than in the domestic league.
Živulić said: “Yes, we have had two very big wins with a very good goal difference. But I think if we, as a team, want to improve and keep pushing at the highest level, we have to maintain this performance as high as possible.”
“As you can see, when we meet teams outside India with whom we want to compete and represent the whole country, not just East Bengal, but also help improve India’s FIFA ranking, we have to take all our strengths into consideration and avoid mistakes.”
“The AFC competition is a little more complicated because opponents don’t forgive you anything. Even a small mistake in the AFC can be very dangerous because they punish you very quickly, which might not happen in the ISL with all the teams.”
“Of course, some of them have really good quality, but that’s why we have to compete with ourselves and do everything as well as we can. It doesn’t matter who we have in front of us.”
Zivulic on the Red & Gold’s defensive lapses in AFC Champions League Two.
When asked where East Bengal had fallen short defensively in their recent AFC Champions League Two matches against Al-Seeb, Živulić felt that the team’s overall defensive performances had been reasonably good. He acknowledged the late defensive lapse against Al-Seeb in Kolkata but felt that the team had also been unlucky in front of goal.
Diego replied back: “In my opinion, we didn’t have such a bad performance. I’m speaking specifically about the defensive part. Of course, we lacked something in the last 15 minutes against Al-Seeb at home, but we also have to take into consideration that we were pressing as much as we could to win that match.”
“I would say that the goals were more the result of our high pressing as we were trying to turn the result around. We made one mistake that led to the first goal, but I don’t think we lacked many things defensively.”
“We were much more unlucky not to have scored any goals in the last two matches. That’s what I would say. Regarding the defensive part, even though we conceded two goals, I think we were at a good level defensively.” he concluded.
What happened the last time Chennaiyin FC faced East Bengal FC in ISL?
The last time Chennaiyin FC faced East Bengal FC in the Indian Super League was on April 11, 2026, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. East Bengal secured a 3-1 victory over the Marina Machans in the 2025–26 ISL season.
What was the result of East Bengal FC’s last game in the ISL 2026-27?
The Torchbearers head into the fixture against Chennaiyin FC on the back of a commanding 5-1 victory over Inter Kashi, having maintained a perfect record in their opening two matches of the ISL 2026–27 campaign.
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