Kolkata, April 7: East Bengal FC continues their preparations to resume their Indian Super League 2026 campaign with an away fixture, though the Red and Gold Brigade still have four more days to go.
East Bengal FC played their last fixture on 23 March and ended the first half with 11 points after six matches. With an 18-day gap, they are aiming to come back stronger, but during this period, many things have happened within the squad in the Red and Gold tent.
Key players in defence, Kevin Sibille, returned to the East Bengal’s main squad during training at the end of last week. Meanwhile, Anwar Ali is also back with the team and training with the main group as he recovers from the injury he sustained in the last match of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, which brings a boost to the squad. However, last Saturday, Basim Rashid picked up an injury during training. Except for Rashid, who trained on the sidelines on Tuesday, the rest of the squad, including Anwar and Kevin, trained with the team.
However, while the focus remained on injury concerns and Basim Rashid’s status ahead of the away match against Chennaiyin FC, attention shifted to Youssef Ezzejjari. In today’s training session, he joined the team and began training, but shortly after, he left the ground urgently following a phone call. There are no injury or health concerns regarding Ezzejjari, and he is safe, however, it appears he had to leave due to a personal matter.
While the return of key players adds much-needed stability, minor setbacks and off-field disruptions continue to test the squad’s depth. Nevertheless, with the majority of the team back in training and momentums rebuilding, the Red and Gold Brigade will be determined to put their challenges behind them and make a strong statement on their return to action.
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