An acid test awaits East Bengal as they take on Mumbai City FC at the Mumbai Football Arena. Mumbai, currently sixth in the table with 27 points from 17 games, will be eager to climb higher, while East Bengal, sitting in 11th place—10 points behind Mumbai—will aim to close the gap and keep their playoff hopes alive with a late push.
The red-and-gold Brigade have struggled in their recent away fixtures, losing both of their last two matches by identical 1-0 scorelines. However, their spirited home win against Kerala Blasters in the previous fixture should give them a much-needed confidence boost. But just when things were looking up, East Bengal were hit with two major injury setbacks before flying to Mumbai.
Injury Woes Mount for East Bengal
Defensive mainstay Hijazi Maher has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a Grade 3 Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, while captain Cleiton Silva is expected to be sidelined for over a month due to a groin injury.
East Bengal are already missing key players. Reliable defender Anwar Ali remains unavailable, while Saul Crespo has yet to recover. Provat Lakra and Mohammed Rakip are also still undergoing rehab. At this stage, Oscar Bruzon faces a daunting challenge to field a competitive XI against Mumbai.
To make matters worse, Jeakson Singh—who played as a makeshift right-back in the previous match—will miss this game due to suspension after accumulating four yellow cards. Nandhakumar Sekar is expected to replace him at right-back, while Hector Yuste will likely take up a central defensive role in Hijazi’s absence.
Richard Celis Holds the Key for East Bengal
Against Mumbai, much of East Bengal’s attacking threat will depend on Venezuelan forward Richard Celis. The attacker has impressed in the last two games, registering three shots on target and seven touches inside the opposition box, but is yet to find the back of the net.
Celis has already expressed his ambition in the pre-match press conference, stating that he wants to make his mark in the ISL and challenge for titles with East Bengal. The clash against Mumbai could be the perfect stage for him to rise to the occasion.
Mumbai’s Attack Looking to Fire
On the other hand, Mumbai City FC come into this match on the back of a dominant 3-0 win over Mohammedan SC. They have the chance to complete a league double over East Bengal for the second time, having edged past them 3-2 in the reverse fixture.
However, history isn’t entirely in Mumbai’s favour. They have yet to secure a home victory against East Bengal in this competition, failing to score in both previous meetings at this stadium—losing one and drawing the other.
A key player to watch for Mumbai will be their new signing Jorge Ortiz, who previously made a strong impact with FC Goa. Ortiz will be playing just his second game for the Islanders and could prove to be a surprise package for East Bengal.
Mumbai, despite their strong squad, have struggled for goals this season. They have scored the fourth-lowest goals in the ISL, finding the net just 22 times. Nikolaos Karelis leads their scoring charts with nine goals, followed by Lallianzuala Chhangte with just two. Coach Petr Kratky will be hoping Ortiz can help solve their attacking struggles.
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