Why could Anton Horup be difference maker for East Bengal's final charge in 2025-26 ISL campaign?

Danish striker Anton will be a key player for the Red and Gold Brigade

East Bengal FC maintained their hopes of staying alive in the 2025-26 Indian Super League (ISL) title race with their impressive 3-1 win over Chennaiyin FC recently. The Red & Gold Brigade might not have the most perfect campaign yet, but they’ve scored 19 goals (the most for any team) and have won their last two matches in style.

Oscar Bruzon’s side is only four points behind league leaders Mumbai City, with five more matches remaining in the campaign. The pressure is well and truly on East Bengal now that they have yet to face off against formidable opponents like Bengaluru FC, Mumbai City and rivals Mohun Bagan SG in their final stretch of the 2025-26 ISL campaign.

The Red & Gold Brigade realize that they’ll need to perform to their very best to win these upcoming matches, and they’ll need to utilise the full might of their squad. That includes Bruzon needing to be smart with his usage of the foreign players, who all have a role to play if East Bengal are really to strongly challenge for the title over the next few weeks.

While the majority of East Bengal’s foreign players have performed really well this season, the individual who is yet to really stand out is their Danish forward, Anton Horup. The 25-year-old has only started one game so far and is yet to really deliver anything special for them.

However, fans should realise that there is more to come from Horup, who now looks to be well adapted to the conditions of Indian football and put in a lively substitute display against Chennaiyin FC.

Horup has bags of experience in his career, and he can utilise that to be a unique threat for the Red & Gold Brigade going forward. Here, we look at why the Danish star can turn out to be a special weapon for East Bengal in their final charge in the 2025-26 ISL campaign.

Versatility and adaptability advantage

The interesting aspect about Anton Horup is that he’s not just a one-trick pony in terms of his positioning on the pitch. The Danish footballer is naturally a centre-midfielder, but he can basically play anywhere in the midfield line. That means he can operate in a no.10 role if required and even slot in as a more defensive midfielder if his team needs him to be.

Moreover, the 25-year-old has also gained experience playing as a centre-forward at times, being able to torment defenders with his movement and clever execution in the final third. His adaptability factor in different scenarios would be a boon for Oscar Bruzon, who can use the Danish star to potentially change the aspects of some results.

Even if compelled to use Horup as a substitute, Bruzon now has a variety of choices at his disposal, in terms of knowing that he can slot the Danish footballer into multiple positions. If his team is holding the lead and is in need of defending it strongly, he could instruct Horup to shield the backline and disrupt the opposition flow in the midfield.

If East Bengal require goals, then the 25-year-old could be played further forward and urged to finish off chances clinically.  His versatility factor is definitely a boon for Horup, who can use that to be a menacing threat for the opposition players.

Creative qualities

Anton Horup might not have been able to get any goal contributions in his first four ISL matches for East Bengal, but that doesn’t rule him out as an inefficient player. The Danish midfielder is definitely a clever individual on the pitch, who boasts some impressive creative qualities that can help further open up East Bengal’s attacking prospects.

The Red & Gold Brigade have somewhat struggled in creating regular chances in games this season, often being reliant on individuals like Miguel Ferreira or Bipin Singh to take up the responsibilities. However, now some of the responsibilities can actually be delivered onto the Danish midfielder’s shoulders, knowing how smart he can be when given enough time on the ball.

In his previous clubs, Horup was a bright factor in the opposition half and definitely capable of creating big chances with his varied range of passing qualities. The 25-year-old can set up chances from open play, having the innovativeness and technical skill to nail smart final third passes and find his teammates in the key attacking positions.

Hence, it’d only be smart for Bruzon to give some creative burden to Horup and urge him to play his natural game to help create chances.

Goal-scoring qualities

Even though he might not be firing on all cylinders yet, Horup has given enough proof in the past that he can be a pretty viable goal threat in the midfield for East Bengal. The 25-year-old scored five goals in 30 matches for Monterey Bay FC before arriving in Indian football. He also bagged 10 goals in 33 matches for the Faroe Islands side B36 Torshavn in 2024.

Horup hasn’t really been at the receiving end of prime opportunities to show off his goal-scoring factors for East Bengal yet. He’s only managed one shot on target from three shot attempts, and needs to be given more freedom to make the late runs into the box to finish off chances efficiently.

That is because the Danish midfielder has that element of surprise in his movement and execution to finish off chances clinically.

Bruzon just needs to give him the license to be more expressive and get to the end of opportunities to finish them off because of Horup can be a new goal-scoring option for the Red & Gold Brigade, he can definitely help surprise opponents and bag some crucial points for his side.

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