NorthEast United FC vs Mohun Bagan SG Preview - Lineups, Team News | ISL 2026-27

The Highlanders will start their 2026-27 ISL campaign at home.

A thrilling battle is set for the first game week of the 2026-27 Indian Super League (ISL) season when NorthEast United FC host Mohun Bagan SG in their first match at the Sarusajai Stadium (Guwahati) on Monday, 12 October (2026).

Both the Highlanders and the Mariners participated in the IFA Shield, with NorthEast reaching the Semis on their debut in the tournament, whereas, Mohun Bagan defeated their rivals 1-0 in the finals to clinch their 24th IFA Shield.

The last meeting between the two teams was in the group stages of the 2026-27 IFA Shield. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Ethyan Gonzalez scoring for NorthEast & Lee Erwin scored his second goal in the tournament.

The two teams have major aspirations to compete for the ISL title this season, and this will be their way of asserting themselves as possible contenders with a compelling display in this Monday evening clash.

The Stakes

NorthEast United

NorthEast United had a pretty disappointing 2025-26 ISL campaign, finishing in 9th place and only winning four of their 13 matches. But they have a much stronger overall squad this time around and are looking to get back to compete for the top spots under Juan Pedro Benali.

Despite their recent thrashing to East Bengal in the IFA Shield semi-final, NorthEast United have impressive quality in their squad and will look to produce an inspiring performance to kick off their ISL campaign in style.

Benali will be encouraging his players to produce an energetic display in being innovative and fast in their attacking style, as well as converting chances well to trouble the Mariners. However, they’ll need to be defensively much stronger than they’ve been recently to hold their own in this clash.

A big win for NorthEast United will be a statement of intent of their ambitions for this campaign, but a crushing loss at home would be a demoralizing way to start the season.

Mohun Bagan

Mohun Bagan are set to begin a new era in the ISL under Panagiotis Dilmperis, who is aiming to help them reclaim the title that they lost to East Bengal last season. The Mariners are high on confidence after winning the IFA Shield title recently and have a pretty packed squad, aided by some high-quality signings over the summer.

Dilmperis will be urging his side to be cautious and respectful of the Highlanders’ attacking threat, holding together a really sturdy defensive line and operate as one strong unit. However, he will be encouraging them to play some entertaining attacking football and be incisive with their build-up play to torment the hosts.

The Mariners will be able to establish themselves as serious title contenders with a commanding win to start the 26-27 ISL campaign, but dropping points in their first game under Dilmperis would be a disappointing way to begin the season.

Team News

Juan Pedro Benali should have a fully fit squad at his disposal for this 2026-27 ISL opener.

For Mohun Bagan, Jamie Maclaren remains a doubt after sustaining a hamstring injury during the IFA Shield. Lalengmawia Ralte also recently sustained an injury in training and will take a fitness test to check his status.

Head-to-Head Record

Matches Played – 16

NorthEast United wins – 3

Mohun Bagan wins – 11

Draws – 2

Predicted Lineups

NorthEast United FC (4-3-3)

Gurmeet (GK), Dinesh Singh, Pramveer, Eneko Satrustegui, Tondonba Singh, Antonio Moyano, Mayakkannan, Nikola Ninkovic, Jithin MS, Abdul Rabeeh, Alaeddine Ajaraie

Mohun Bagan (4-2-3-1)

Vishal Kaith (GK), Mehtab Singh, Rahul Bheke, Alberto Rodriguez, Abhishek Singh, Deepak Tangri, Anirudh Thapa, Samir Zeljkovic, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Dejan Drazic, Lee Erwin

Players to Watchout

Alaeddine Ajaraie (NorthEast United FC)

Alaeddine Ajaraie is back with a bang for the NorthEast United side after spending the 2025-26 season out on loan. The Moroccan forward has already been able to score 12 goals for them in the 2026-27 campaign, impressing for them at the Durand Cup and IFA Shield.

Ajaraie will not look to get his magic going in the ISL, after having won the Golden Boot at the end of the 2024-25 ISL campaign. He will aim to be an absolute thorn for the Mohun Bagan backline by nailing his movement with clever off-the-ball runs to disrupt their shape.

Ajaraie will be mostly focused on impressing with his positioning and trying to get the ball in the danger zones inside the penalty area, and finishing them off in compelling fashion to inspire NorthEast United to a big win over the Mariners.

Lallianzuala Chhangte (Mohun Bagan)

Mohun Bagan spent big money on the signing of Lallianzuala Chhangte in the 2026 summer window, which means there will be a lot of pressure on the Indian winger to validate his signing. Chhangte already has a lot of experience of playing in the ISL, impressing for Mumbai City in the competition over the years and even scoring four goals for the Islanders in the 2025-26 campaign.

Chhangte is still adapting to Dilmperis’ system at Mohun Bagan, but he has a big chance to win over the fans with a compelling display against the Highlanders. The 29-year-old will look to make good use of his experience, being a troublesome figure in the attack with his speedy runs and ability to get the ball into the empty spaces.

He will need to be decisive with his final third passes to help create chances, but Chhangte will be particularly focused on finishing chances off efficiently to mark his ISL debut for Mohun Bagan in memorable fashion.

Did you know?

• NorthEast United’s new centre-back Eneko Satrustegui played for Osasuna in La Liga, but his league debut saw him sent off against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2011.
• Mohun Bagan have not lost their last four successive matches against NorthEast United (in all competitions) and the last time they lost to the Highlanders in the ISL was in 2023.
• Alaeddine Ajaraie reached 50 goals for NorthEast United in their recent IFA Shield semifinal loss to East Bengal.

Telecast Details

The NorthEast United vs Mohun Bagan clash in the 2026-27 ISL will take place on Monday, 12 October (2026) at the Satrusajai Stadium in Guwahati. The match will kick off at 7:30 PM IST.

The match will be shown live on Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 2 HD and will be available to stream digitally for free on YouTube.

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