East Bengal Hadapi Mohun Bagan dalam Penentuan Juara ISL

East Bengal bertanding melawan Mohun Bagan Super Giant dalam laga derbi Kolkata yang menentukan perebutan gelar juara Indian Super League (ISL) 2025-26 di Stadion Salt Lake pada Minggu, 17 Mei 2026.

Dilansir dari indiansuperleague.com, kedua tim saat ini sama-sama mengoleksi 22 poin di papan atas klasemen, dengan East Bengal unggul selisih gol.

Pemenang pertandingan ini akan mengambil langkah besar menuju trofi juara, karena tim yang menang akan mengumpulkan 25 poin dan unggul catatan head-to-head menjelang laga terakhir musim.

Jika pertandingan berakhir imbang, kedua klub akan mengemas 23 poin dan penentuan juara harus berlanjut hingga pertandingan pamungkas.

Berdasarkan laporan sportstar.thehindu.com, East Bengal memiliki sedikit keuntungan meskipun sedang menghadapi masalah cedera pemain kunci seperti Saul Crespo dan Naorem Mahesh Singh, serta sanksi larangan bertanding untuk Souvik Chakrabarti.

Di sisi lain, Mohun Bagan mendominasi sejarah pertemuan di era ISL dengan meraih sembilan kemenangan dari 10 laga derby sebelumnya.

Pelatih kepala East Bengal, Oscar Bruzon, menyatakan bahwa timnya menghadapi pertandingan besar ini dengan keyakinan penuh dan tanpa beban tuntutan yang berlebihan.

"We don't take it as a responsibility. Probably in terms of responsibility, Mohun Bagan will have more tension because they need to defend the title. But we are having a dream. And when you have a dream, you can move mountains," ujar Oscar Bruzon.

Pihaknya mengakui status rival mereka di atas kertas, namun ia tetap optimis terhadap performa skuad asuhannya untuk merebut poin penuh.

"If we need to talk about favourites, it's clear that Mohun Bagan has the advantages. But if we need to talk about performance, which is our part, I'm cool, I'm confident, I'm determined, I'm excited, and I really believe that our guys tomorrow can play a good game, and we can take the three points with us," kata Oscar Bruzon.

Gelandang East Bengal, Mohammad Rashid, menambahkan bahwa aspek mental dan ketenangan di lapangan akan menjadi faktor krusial dalam menghadapi atmosfer pertandingan derby yang intens.

"Any player looks to play these games because the atmosphere is just amazing. You look for those kinds of games, and you look forward towards them. You actually have to go in cool because if you press yourself and you're nervous, then it becomes a problem. You have to work on yourself mentally for these kinds of games," tutur Mohammad Rashid.

Sementara itu, pelatih kepala Mohun Bagan, Sergio Lobera, menegaskan bahwa performa nyata di atas lapangan jauh lebih penting daripada prediksi di atas kertas dalam perburuan gelar ini.

"It's a very good opportunity for us to show everyone that we can win one trophy because we are better than the opponent. But on paper, everything is amazing. It's time to speak on the pitch. It's the time to not speak here. Words are very easy and amazing, but finally, we need to show this on the pitch," tegas Sergio Lobera.

Pertandingan krusial ini dijadwalkan memulai sepak mula pada pukul 19:30 IST.