Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal Preview, team news, lineups & prediction | Durand Cup 2025 quarter-final

The Kolkata rivals are set to clash in the quarter-final on August 17.

Durand Cup 2025 is reaching towards of the zenith of excitement. The quarter-finals will start on August 16 with Shillong Lajong squaring off against Indian Navy FT. However, the big ticket clash is the last quarter-final on August 17, involving the arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC. The match will start at 7 PM IST at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.

Both clubs have aced the group stage, winning all the games to qualify for the knockouts unbeaten. Interestingly, the course for these arch-rivals in the group stage has been almost identical. With 12 goals scored in the group stage, they look to continue their streak in the quarter-finals.

Stakes:

Mohun Bagan Super Giant

The defending Indian Super League champions have once again shown why they are the most feared side in India at the moment. Group stage was a no-hurdle for them as the Mariners just destroyed their opponents. However, the road won’t be easy hereon since the knockouts come with the pressure of the occasion. For Mohun Bagan, that big occasion has coupled up with their fiercest rivals to make this quarter-final a must win affair.

The Mariners have not yet faced an opposition that can test their forwards. But the Red and Gold Brigade would not be a pushover for the in-form attackers of Mohun Bagan. The ISL champions would be desperate to crush their arch-rivals as they are the biggest roadblock in their path to Durand Cup glory. Last year, they heartbreakingly lost in the final at the hands of Northeast United FC, in penalties.

East Bengal FC

The Red and Gold Brigade are looking like a formidable unit under Oscar Bruzon. The last league season did not go as planned for East Bengal, but they have started this season impressively. Hammering other teams in the group stage, East Bengal made sure they are considered as title contenders this year.

However, the biggest lesson for them from the group stage was their match against Namdhari FC. The Kolkata club could only manage to win the game with a narrow 1-0 scoreline. That result proved that there is no easy match in the competition.

Their knockout assignment in this year’s Durand Cup is probably their toughest. Their recent record against Mohun Bagan has been poor. Since their arrival in the ISL they have had to face a stiff run against their city rivals. After Bruzon’s promising start, East Bengal don’t have the leverage to stumble against Mohun Bagan.

Also Read: East Bengal’s three best performers from 2025 Durand Cup group stages

Team News

The last quarter-final is set to witness the arch-rivals going full throttle against each other. However, Mohun Bagan might miss Manvir Singh and Kiyan Nassiri, who are struggling with minor injuries. The centre back, Tom Aldred, was also reported to be facing difficulty after the training session. Jose Molina will have the task of leading his side with some prominent players not being available.

On the other hand, East Bengal are not facing these obstacles, and they are expected to have all the names available against Mohun Bagan.

Head-to-Head Record

Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have met each other 404 times in the past. The Red and Gold brigade have a slight edge over Mohun Bagan. East Bengal have won 143 matches while the defending ISL champions have 133 victories to their name.

Predicted Lineups

Mohun Bagan Super Giant

Vishal Kaith (GK), Tekcham Abhishek Singh, Alberto Rodriguez, Ashish Rai, Manvir Singh, Deepak Tangri, Abhishek Suryavanshi, Pasang Dorjee Tamang, Liston Colaco, Suhail Bhat, Anirudh Thapa.

East Bengal FC

Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Anwar Ali, Kevin Sibille, Mohamad Rakip, Jeakson Singh, Naorem Mahesh, Miguel Ferriera, Lalrindika, Mohamad Rashid, Bipin Singh, Hamid Ahadad

Players to watch out

Liston Colaco (Mohun Bagan Super Giant)

How can the top scorer of the tournament not be the player to watch out for? Liston Colaco has taken the tournament by storm with his goal-scoring prowess in the group stage games.

Scoring a brace in the first two group stage games, the Goan forward showed that this season his focus will not be on just creating chances down the wings but also occupying the space in the box and burying those chances with venom. Against Diamond Harbour, Liston went on to add one more goal to his tally as he is determined to make this year’s Golden Boot his own.

Hamid Ahadad (East Bengal FC)

Hamid Ahadad, the Moroccan recruit, made an instant impact for the team on his debut against Namdhari FC as he scored the solitary goal, which guided East Bengal to a victory, confirming their spot in the quarter-finals. In the last group stage game, he scored one more to bring joy to East Bengal fans. The fans would be thrilled to watch their Moroccan magic man again in action in the quarter-final against Mohun Bagan.

With two goals already in his first two games, Ahadad looks like a promising prospect for the Red and Gold Brigade. He will be expected to share the goalscoring responsibility with Dimitrios Diamantakos this season, and the Moroccan will be determined to lay the foundation for the season with some impressive outings in the Durand Cup.

Telecast Details

The fourth quarter-final between East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant will be played on Sunday, 17 August 2025, at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krinangan. It will kick off at 7 PM IST. The match will be shown live on the Sony Ten Sports network and SonyLIV.

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