Mohun Bagan, East Bengal eye Super Cup semifinal spot in decisive Kolkata Derby

A win in the Kolkata Derby will decide who will advance to the semifinal of the AIFF Super Cup.

Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are set to meet in their third Kolkata derby of the 2025-26 season when they fight for the chance to progress into the knockout rounds of the 2025 Super Cup on Friday (31 October 2025).

It’s expected to be a heated and highly competitive battle between the Kolkata giants, who can take a huge step forward in their desire to win the Super Cup by winning this derby.

The Stakes

Mohun Bagan

For Mohun Bagan, it’s not been the most prolific Super Cup campaign so far at all. The Mariners might be undefeated in the tournament so far and haven’t conceded a goal either, but they’ve been far from their ruthless best.

They were recently held to a frustrating goalless draw by Dempo SC and now need a win to win Group A. Jose Molina has to amp up the intensity and speed of his side’s attacking patterns for them to really torment their rivals and produce a truly memorable performance.

Unless Mohun Bagan are able to tap into their clinical best and finish off chances prolifically, they won’t be able to undo this East Bengal side. A big win for Mohun Bagan can give them the perfect booster to potentially go onto win the Super Cup, while a loss would pose new questions to pop up about their trophy-winning abilities this season.

East Bengal

East Bengal have been able to produce quite a lot of entertainment in their Super Cup campaign so far, scoring six goals across two games. However, they still need to defeat Mohun Bagan to keep their dreams of winning the Super Cup for a second time alive.

Oscar Bruzon has to ensure that his side can maintain their momentum levels from the Chennaiyin FC thrashing and be fully confident in facing the reigning Indian Super League (ISL) champions.

They cannot be a wasteful and sluggish as they were in the recent IFA Shield final loss to Mohun Bagan, as Bruzon needs them to be sharper and more clinical. A win for East Bengal would not only get them to the semifinals, but also raise the self-belief levels in the squad, while a crushing loss could reignite crisis talks within the team.

Team News

Jose Molina is fortunate to have a fully fit squad available for the upcoming derby in the Super Cup.

Oscar Bruzon is not missing any players due to injury, as they survived without suffering any issues in the last few games.

Head-to-Head

Matches Played – 406

Mohun Bagan wins – 134

East Bengal wins – 144

Draws – 128

Predicted Lineups

Mohun Bagan (4-2-3-1)

Vishal Kaith (GK), Mehtab Singh, Tom Aldred, Alberto Rodriguez, Subhasish Bose, Anirudh Thapa, Lalengmawia Ralte, Manvir Singh, Robson Robinho, Jason Cummings, Jamie Maclaren

East Bengal (4-2-3-1)

Prabhsukhan Gill (GK), Mohammad Rakip, Anwar Ali, Kevin Sibille, Jay Gupta, Mohammed Rashid, Saul Crespo, Miguel Ferreira, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Bipin Singh, Hamid Ahadad

Key Players to Watch

Jason Cummings (Mohun Bagan)

Jason Cummings is starting to face some pressure from the Mohun Bagan fans after failing to impress in recent games, as he’s yet to record a single goal contribution in the Super Cup. He’s not really been able to score goals in the last few games and really needs an impactful performance to earn the fans’ love again. Cummings has the perfect chance to regain his momentum with an eye-catching performance against East Bengal.

Cummings is likely to partner up with Jamie Maclaren against the Red & Gold Brigade, but will need to be innovative and smart with his off-the-ball movement and passing. The Australian forward has to be accurate with his final third passes to help create big chances, while he also must be clinical in front of goal to finish off chances efficiently to lead Mohun Bagan to a memorable derby win.

Hamid Ahadad (East Bengal)

Hamid Ahadad has had a pretty eventful beginning to his East Bengal career, scoring in crucial occasions for the Red & Gold Brigade. His biggest moment came in the goal Ahadad scored for East Bengal in the IFA Shield final against Mohun Bagan, a real predatory strike from close range.

The Moroccan forward is yet to open his scoring in the Super Cup for East Bengal, and now he has the perfect chance to do that against Mohun Bagan. Like he did in the last derby, Hamid will look to confuse the Mohun Bagan defenders with his slick movement and impressive positioning in key areas of the pitch.

He will look to help with East Bengal’s link-up play in creating attacks, but more importantly get at the end of chances and finish them off swiftly. A clinical performance from Hamid can significantly elevate East Bengal’s ruthlessness against Mohun Bagan and guide them to a big victory.

Did you know?

• Mohun Bagan have won all Kolkata derbies against East Bengal played in Goa in the post-Covid-19 era.
• East Bengal have scored six goals in the Super Cup, the most for any team in Group A.
• East Bengal have won two of their last three cup games against Mohun Bagan.

Telecast Details

The Kolkata Derby between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in the Super Cup will take place on Friday, October 31, 2025.

The match will kick off at 7:30 PM IST. It will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network and live-streamed on JioHotstar.

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