Kolkata: ISL 2025-26 Champion East Bengal are set to face one of the greatest clubs in Kuwait Football history – Al Arabi SC at Yuva Bharati Kriangan, Kolkata for ACL 2 Qualifier.
Under newly appointed coach Antonio Lopez Habas, East Bengal kick started the season with a loss against rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giants in Durand Cup 2026. On top of that, East Bengal will enter the contest with only three foreigners, newcomers Daniel Ramirez and Chris Ikonomidis (not fully fit) as well as retained Mohammad Rashid, and it makes the case more demanding for East Bengal.
Spanish centre-back Nacho Monsalve has suffered a knee injury and is set to miss the game, while Lalchungnunga is suspended following his red card against FC Arkadag in last year’s AFC Challenge League quarterfinal. Nigerian forward Effiong who could have strengthened East Bengal’s attack has not received visa so he’s unavailable. Besides these, East Bengal are yet to sign 6th foreigner yet.
“Injuries are not an excuse to me. It will be a tough fight for us, but the match will be 11 players versus 11 players. I believe in that,” Habas said.
Habas, during the pre-match news conference, tried to take the rough with the smooth. A lot will depend on the Anwar Ali-led all-Indian defence against a Kuwaiti side which has come here with its full foreign power and playing friendlies against top sides in Turkey and Egypt.
The responsibility will therefore fall heavily on Anwar Ali, T Boris Singh, Sandeep Mandi and Jay Gupta to hold their defensive shape against a side that finished second in the 2025-26 Kuwaiti Premier League.
Prabhsukhan Singh Gill is likely to be the man between the posts.His experience and ability to handle pressure could prove particularly important if the match remains undecided through 90 minutes and goes to a penalty shootout.
In a likely 4-2-3-1 setup of Habas, Mohammed Rashid and T Jeakson Singh could operate as the two deeper midfielders.
Their task will be to disrupt Al Arabi’s sharp attacks while helping East Bengal transition quickly from defence to attack.
Further forward, Bipin Singh, Dani Ramirez and Rohit Danu are expected to provide the attacking thrust behind Edmund Lalrindika, who could lead the line.
In Palestinian striker Zaid Qunbar, Nigerian winger Anayo Iwuala and Brazilian Lucas Shallon, the visitors under newly appointed Croatian coach Goran Sablic have both pace and potency in the attacking third.
‘We know that we are facing a very good team who will play in front of their fans. But we are here to play football and not focus on atmosphere,” Sablic told.
However, given the nature of the one-off contest, Habas won’t mind frustrating the opponents with a battle of attrition and dragging it to a likely tie-breaker. This is why, Jeakson Singh and Rashid could be employed as defensive midfielders ahead of their backline. Habas also focused on lack of preparation time for East Bengal.
“We didn’t have too much time for preparation (for this match). This may not be the best situation for us. But I hope we’ll deal with it with a tactical game and a 100% dedication from the players. The players have to sacrifice a lot, they need to be disciplined and perform well to live up to the challenge,” Habas pointed out.
A win against the Kuwait Premier League runners-up Al Arabi SC will give East Bengal a direct place in group stage of the continent’s second-tier club football while a defeat will plummet them to the AFC Challenge League.
With continental qualification at stake, East Bengal will need to contain Al Arabi’s potent squad and overcome the visitors’ advantage in preparation if it wants to secure a place in the AFC Champions League Two group stage.
With a coveted spot in Pot 4 of the group-stage draw on the line—to be conducted in Kuala Lumpur on August 18—both sides know that margin for error is razor-thin in a sudden-death knockout format.
Al-Arabi SC reached the semi-finals of the 2024-25 AFC Challenge League, losing to eventful winners FK Arkadag (who also knocked out East Bengal).
East Bengal’s best finish in an AFC competition is reaching the semifinals of the AFC Cup in 2013, where they actually lost to Kuwaiti side Al-Kuwait.
When and Where to Watch in India?
The East Bengal vs Al-Arabi SC match will be available for live streaming on the FanCode mobile app and website. The match has a scheduled start time of 7:00 PM IST on August 12.
