Kolkata, February 15: Emami East Bengal FC are set to begin their Indian Super League 2025-26 campaign tomorrow against NorthEast United FC at their home ground, Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, with a kickoff scheduled for 7:30 PM. After a shaky season last time, the Red & Gold Brigade return with a more compact squad and well-timed preparation. Head coach Oscar Bruzon is hoping to approach the season with renewed positivity and strong competition.
The new ISL season has been delayed, however East Bengal FC were involved in competitive tournaments much earlier, including the Durand Cup, Super Cup, and IFA Shield. They have played with almost the same squad that will compete in the league, except Youssef, who is expected to make his debut tomorrow.
However, injury concerns remain, as key players like Mahesh Naorem, Rakip, and Kevin Cibille are unavailable. Kevin needs around two weeks to return to India as he is suffering from a hamstring injury and will require time to rejoin the team. With the short league structure, head coach Oscar Bruzon said he may miss most of the matches, and will be there for three to four matches.
Saul Crespo did not take part in the matchday-minus-one training session due to health issues, but he is available for tomorrow’s match. On the other hand, consecutive Durand Cup champions NorthEast United FC may not have some of their previously impactful players, but Oscar admitted that this should not be considered an advantage.
During his pre-match media interaction, Oscar Bruzon spoke about his journey and vision at East Bengal FC. He said that when he joined last season, the team was mentally broken, unbalanced, and struggling due to constant changes in management, coaches, players, and staff, which led to frustration among the fans. This season, however, he believes the club has taken a clear step forward with defined responsibilities, a stable structure, and a long-term plan focused on professionalism and high performance.
Oscar explained that he and his staff were given full responsibility to build the squad, working day and night to form a competitive and cost-effective team. He expressed confidence in both Indian and foreign players, stating that they are ready to take leadership roles and make a real impact, while also reminding everyone to understand the team’s starting point and set realistic expectations for the season.
In the previous season, the two teams faced each other twice, with both sides winning one match each. Pedro Benali and Oscar Bruzon, both coaches guided their teams to one victory, making the rivalry evenly balanced going into the new season.
East Bengal FC’s Coache’s view:
Oscar Bruzon shared his thoughts with confidence and belief in his squad, stressing the importance of starting the season strongly in front of the home supporters.
“Tomorrow we have a tough rival, a tough task, a good coach and as I said before, if we put ourselves at the start of the last season, I think that we have enough reasons and motivation, to try to change things around and this season let’s try to start finally here in front of our supporters. Every time there is a difficulty, we try to find the best solution.we have a better squad, we have better solutions and today I am fully confident that the players that are going to be on the pitch will try to keep that level of performances that we have early in the season.”
The match will be live on Sony LIV and telecast on FanCode from 7:30 PM.
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