East Bengal has the chance to end a 22-year long domestic league title drought this season. | Photo Credit: Focus Sports/ ISL

The Kolkata derby, East Bengal versus Mohun Bagan, in its infancy, has always gone beyond the ambit of sports — the banters between ghotis and bangals, the supremacy over hilsa and prawns and often, the reason for a fan to step out of their homes a day after the game.

But in the Indian Super League (ISL), currently the premier division of men’s football in the country, the scale has always tilted towards the green-and-maroon with nine wins. In 10 matches, the only point East Bengal could muster was from a 2-2 draw in 2024.

But the 2025-26 season, though truncated, has witnessed a fresh wind in the sails for the Red-and-Gold Brigade – most goals scored, a runner-up medal at the Super Cup and second in the standings.

East Bengal seems to finally be living up to its legacy after half a decade in the ISL.

The club, which has never finished in the top half of ISL, is now in a title contender, which has the added incentive of taking down its fierce rival Mohun Bagan on Sunday.

On the cusp of glory

Seven teams remain in the hunt for the trophy, and anything but a draw would reduce the contest to just two teams.

A win for East Bengal will keep Punjab as the only other title-contender, which will have to win its final match by a huge margin to better East Bengal’s goal difference.

The last time East Bengal won the top flight was 22 years ago, under coach Subhash Bhowmick. Since then, over 27 coaches have come and gone with the title being elusive, while Bagan has won four Premier Division trophies in the same time.

Head coach Oscar Bruzon will look to change just that: shining the brightest before he leaves the club at the end of the season.

A win for Bagan, on the other hand, will only keep Mumbai City in the title-race. Anything but a loss for Bagan on the final matchday – against Sporting Club Delhi – will hand it the trophy. If Bagan loses to Delhi, Mumbai City will have to drop points against Punjab for Mariners to become champion.

This season, Bagan has been plagued by continuity issues, along with problematic transfer calls that have spiralled the club into a quicksand of crisis off the field.

Former manager Jose Molina’s outburst – following the Super Cup exit — saw him leave the club, while Bagan not travelling to Iran for the AFC Champions League Two – due to visa issues of foreigners – led to fan protests and a two-season ban from Asian competitions.

ISL-winning manager Sergio Lobera has steadied the ship on the field, and will hope Bagan can maintain national dominance despite the continental sanctions.

Injury woes and a shift in strategy

Mohun Bagan enjoys the luxury of having FIFA World Cup-tested stars in its squad, and both Jamie Maclaren and Jason Cummings are expected to play crucial roles in the final third. However, Lobera is likely to choose Cummings only as an impact sub, with Maclaren starting the match.

The most significant addition for the Mariners in this match will be in the midfield. Lobera’s combinational play has heavily relied on a steady build-up, which he executed through Ahmed Jahouh in the pivot at both Mumbai City and Odisha FC.

At Bagan, Lalengmawia Ralte had moulded into that role naturally, and the India midfielder’s return to full fitness would give Bagan added liberty to play to its full strength.

While the injury woes have been minimal for East Bengal this season, fresh concerns arose before the ‘Boro’ match with Saul Crespo and Naorem Mahesh Singh, two of the club’s captains, sitting out injured, while another captain, Souvik Chakrabarti, is suspended.

As a result, Mohammed Rashid is expected to shoulder the duty for more progressive carries as Miguel Figueira orchestrates attacks in the final third, while Youssef Ezzejjari – the league’s leading goalscorer – eyes a title and the Golden Boot in his maiden season in India.

Kolkata – and West Bengal – has, over the ongoing month, shown that change is the only constant, with the political winds shifting after 15 years.

Sunday’s match at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan will determine if the trend spills over to the derby, with East Bengal flipping the narrative, or if Bagan can continue its reign, re-establishing itself as a bastion of resilience in the annals of Indian football. Above all, it will determine which club’s fans can finally step out of their homes with a smile in the City of Joy.

The match kicks off at 7:30 pm IST.

Published on May 16, 2026