Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal Live: Kolkata comes to a standstill as MBSG take on EBFC in Durand Cup quarterfinals

Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal Live: Even in amongst all the chaos and confusion surrounding the state of professional Indian football over these last months, everything seems to fall silent as you approach a Kolkata Derby. The game of all games in this sport on the subcontinent, one of the most high profile rivalries in any sport across the world: when Mohun Bagan prepare to take on East Bengal, everything must stop and all attention must turn to the pitch. Such is the cardinal rule in Kolkata....Read More

This time, with the ISL on break, the national team sputtering along, the Durand Cup is what will play host to the derby. The quarterfinal round will see the two teams head to the cavernous Salt Lake Stadium, the spiritual home of the sport in India, and have a right scrap to find out who will progress, and who will have to deal with the goadings of the old enemy after getting knocked out.

Both teams have been dominant in the Durand Cup thus far, progressing without dropping a game. Historically, East Bengal have a brief edge in this contest, including in the Durand Cup where they have won 9 games compared to 8 for the Mariners. That being said, Mohun Bagan have been one of the form teams in Indian domestic football over the recent past, and that has also translated to results in the Kolkata Derby, where they lead by 6 wins to 5 since the start of 2023.

But how narrow these gaps indicates that whatever the state of the teams might be, it will remain competitive. Mohun Bagan are double holders of the ISL at the moment, but East Bengal are going through a wholesale rebuild which has seen them stock up on some serious talent to try and get their hands on a first top division title in over 20 years. This is a resurgent East Bengal team, whose new signings have turned around their energy, and now they will be hoping their fortune. Before that, the idea will be to draw level with their great rivals in the Durand Cup: Mariners have won this tournament 17 times, but the Red and Gold are just behind them on 16.

With Mohun Bagan’s AFC Asian Champions League Two campaign set to begin next month and the team nursing a few injuries, it won’t be Bagan at their best, something coach Jose Molina has already made a note of. But when it comes down to it, the one promise you can make is that the tackles won’t be anything short of fully-fledged and the playing conditions will be anything except friendly.

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