Mohun Bagan vs Emami East Bengal FC Durand Derby Preview – A Day of Dreams and Fantasies

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Kolkata Derby. The day it all comes down to. The first and last laugh. The day in which everyone wears their favourite colours in support and flock in numbers to back their team. The day when they offer prayers to their Gods and ask for divine blessings. A Day intricately linked to their identity, passion and heritage.

This is not just a clash of rivals. It is the place where dreams of millions come true and fantasies turn into pixie dust. Derbies are hands-down special, especially the first one of the season which gives the winners the first laugh.

Kolkata, known worldwide as the City of Joy, will host the Biggest Derby in Asia where two of the biggest clubs, Mohun Bagan and Emami East Bengal FC will clash head-to-head on Sunday. Only one shall emerge victorious in this knockout, with the bragging rights and a place in history, along with advancing to the Semi-Finals of Durand Cup, 2025.

Speaking of derbies, Emami East Bengal FC had their focus on it primarily with a 9th place disappointing finish in ISL last season, whereas Mohun Bagan not only won the clashes convincingly, but also proved themselves as the Champions of India by lifting the ISL Shield twice in a row.

All is not bad for Emami East Bengal FC. They get to fantasize for the longest time as they get to watch the Mariners snatch their dreams and turn them into reality, time and again.

While the fake promises of turning around their fate float in the wuthering wind, the Red-n-Yellow’s come in hot with new signings that give them hope and a fantasy to fulfil.

In case of Mohun Bagan, they are known for playing every match with the aim of winning them. They make the dreams come true, no matter what the circumstances are. The dreams of Mariners and football enthusiasts for whom this club holds a special place in their hearts. In these dreams, the players of MBSG are the characters that rise like warriors and conquer the field.

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Dream Characters of Mohun Bagan:-

1. The Three Musketeers – Macca , Cumdog, Dimi

Scoring in both ISL derbies last season, the Aussie all-time highest scorer Jamie will be the man in action. His treasury of match experience, positional awareness, and swift movements in the box makes him the ‘fox’ that pounces on the sheep and scores the goals for Mohun Bagan.

Jason Cummings needs no special introduction. The world cupper will be clinical in the attacking half. Playing decisive passes, applying pressure, and scoring goals is his forte, and that too in his iconic ‘Aram-Se’ Style.

Danda, Tudung Tudung, Dhichkao! When this song plays, the Boss has arrived.

92:49. He scored the winning goal that made us ISL Shield Champions last year. Apart from clutches, he is capable of sending tremors through the veins of the weak. When Dimi steps on the field, the Mariners shout at the top of their lungs for the man who makes it happen. The ‘slap on his thigh’ and ‘Sten Gun’ celebrations are a sight to watch as the rival fans roll up their tents on his arrival.

2. The Boy with a Dream – Abhishek Teckcham Singh

Sweetness doesn’t last and often gets a ball or two slipped in between its legs. A dream, however, can come true, especially when you are playing for the National Club of India. He chose to join the best team of India over a 9th place team and he will be the strong glue that holds the defense wall together on Sunday.

3. Batul The Great – Alberto Rodriguez

When the opponents look at Alberto, he is ‘The Monster’ or ‘The Beast’. But for us, he is different. When it comes to defending, he has the highest number of clean sheets with Tom Aldred in last ISL Season, and his presence instills fear into the opponent’s hearts. His mighty stature and charismatic leadership sets him apart. No matter what tricks the miscreants play, nothing can get past our ‘Batul’.

4. Feluda and Byomkesh – Anirudh Thapa and Sahal Abdul Samad

Talking in football terms, the midfield is the most complex of areas to play, and it requires a high level of intelligence, precision, and anticipation.

Anirudh Thapa can be called our ‘Feluda’ on the field, who can find the gaps for decisive passes in the attacking half, along with defending with his fellow mates in the other half. Like Feluda, he turns the ball into climactic bangers, hitting the Bull’s eye on his own.

As for Sahal, his never-ending quest for scoring goals and providing assists is quite similar to the quest for truth for Satyanweshi Byomkesh. He can dribble past hurdles and show his brilliance in combination with other players.

These two detectives will read the game and ensure that Bagan stays dominant and in full control of the midfield.

5. The 12th Man – The Mariners

The often-overlooked truth about derbies, is the contribution of the supporters. When we dream about derbies we dream about the wins and goals, but the most memorable is the presence of the 12th Man and the atmosphere of the stadium. These Mariners travel in numbers from far away in buses, boats, cars, bikes, trains, trucks and planes. They come all covered in Green and Maroon shades with smiles on their faces, excitement in their hearts and goosebumps on their skin. They come in all ages from different cultures, languages and religions. They all sit together as brothers and sisters, like true Indians, and clap for the players. Their screams of support act as the motherly touch of Maa Mohun Bagan to the aching and tired players’ backs and gives them the extra-will to fight till the end of 90 minutes. The supporters carry the essence and the spirit of the ancestors who stay in spirit just like the olden days. Derbies are nothing without supporters and they will play the most important role as the 12th Man in the stands on Sunday.

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Predicted XI:-

Mohun Bagan SG (4-2-3-1): Vishal Kaith(GK) (C), Asish Rai-Tom Aldred-Alberto Rodriguez- Abhishek Teckcham Singh, Lalengmawia Ralte-Anirudh Thapa, Liston Colaco-Sahal Abdul Samad-Jason Cummings, Jamie Maclaren

Emami East Bengal FC (4-2-3-1): Gill(GK), Rakip-Anwar-Kevin-Lalchungnunga, Crespo-Souvik, Bipin-Miguel-Mahesh(C), Hamid

ও বাদশা ft. Dimi Petratos!! 💚❤️

[Joy Mohun Bagan, MBFT] pic.twitter.com/zhPZktbI4f

— MBFT : Mohun Bagan (@MBFT89) August 14, 2025

Gameplay Analysis:-

Mohun Bagan SG:

Coach Jose Molina prefers a 4-back system with Apuia as CDM. The pressure gets spread out as the wingers and central midfielder fall back in support. With the aim of maintaining possession and quick transition, he relies on Apuia and Thapa for ball distribution. The wingers play far wide as the proponents of counter attack and dribble independently along with the occasional support of the Central Attacking Midfielder, Sahal. With a permanent striker in the box, Jamie, whose movement is to score and at times, lure defenders away for the development of attack, the rest of the players move up to gain the space. The coach loves to play high pressing and do quick dynamic switch-ups in the attacking half, which is difficult to defend against. He also loves to score from free kicks and set-pieces and makes good use of his tall, sturdy defenders for that job. With a dominating derby record, he will look to extend the same and secure his spot in the semi-finals.

Emami East Bengal FC:

Coach Oscar Bruzon prefers a 4-back system with overlapping-wing plays, even with the striker and float the ball in the box. He likes to have a midfielder at the edge of the box for support and get a scoring attempt from far. With Miguel in the midfield, he gets to provide through and lobbed passes for the striker to score. His CDM stays back with the defense as the 4th pseudo defender as the wing-backs advance up the pitch adding to the depth in attack. Their new signings might bring the changes they were looking for.

This Sunday, as both the Kolkata Giants face each other, one team will get knocked out and the other team will advance to the semi-finals of Durand Cup, 2025. The Red-n-Yellows will not back down without a fight, whereas Mohun Bagan will look to dominate and win the match like always. In the end, may the best team win! Joy Mohun Bagan!

On behalf of MBFT, I urge all supporters to maintain civility off the field. Let us all uphold the spirit of sportsmanship as the 12th Man and let the players fight the battle in the 90 minutes of football on the pitch.

Mariners, Durand Cup Quarter Final draws are OUT! 💥

We're all set to face Emami East Bengal FC on 17th August 2025, 7 PM at the Saltlake Stadium, Kolkata!

🆚 Emami East Bengal FC
🗓 17th August 2025, 7 PM IST
🏟 Saltlake Stadium, Kolkata

[Joy Mohun Bagan, MBFT] pic.twitter.com/YFaXdFDxNN

— MBFT : Mohun Bagan (@MBFT89) August 12, 2025

🎯 Durand Cup Quarter Final 

⏰ 9th Aug’25; 7:00 PM IST

🏟 Saltlake Stadium, Kolkata 

📡 Sony Ten 2 (TV), SonyLiv, Jio TV (OTT) 🎶

✍🏻 Anik Nandi 

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