East Bengal to host Al-Shorta at Salt Lake Stadium in AFC Champions League Two on October 13, 2026
East Bengal are set to host Iraqi side Al-Shorta at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Tuesday, 13 October 2026 in their first home match of the AFC Champions League Two 2026-27 campaign. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:15 PM IST.
East Bengal earned a point away to Al-Hussein in their opening group-stage fixture, and coach Antonio Habas has said he wants the team to build on that result. The side will aim to leverage home advantage, tighten defensively, control key areas and be more decisive in the final third to convert chances in front of their supporters.
Al-Shorta opened the campaign with a win over Al-Seeb and arrive in Kolkata seeking to maintain a 100% record from the opening matchweek. The Iraqi club enter the fixture unbeaten in their last eight competitive matches and will look to create and convert clear chances while preserving a compact defensive shape.
East Bengal will be without Naorem Mahesh Singh, who remains a long-term absentee, and striker Effiong Nsungusi, who is yet to join the squad, with Habas confirming both absences. Al-Shorta, by contrast, should have a full squad available for the trip to Kolkata.
The teams' listed lineups are: Prabhsukhan Gill (GK), Hardik Bhatt, David Zivulic, Anwar Ali, Jay Gupta, Mohammed Rashid, Jeakson Singh, Bipin Singh, PV Vishnu, Dani Ramirez, Lukasz Zwolinski for East Bengal; and Jalal Hassan (GK), Ahmad Zero, Ruben Ramirez, Maytham Jabbar, Ahmed Yahya, Abdoul Moumouni, Cristian Barco, Kingsley Kuku, Bassam Shakir, Hussein Al Saedi, Leonel Ateba for Al-Shorta.
This fixture will be the first-ever meeting between East Bengal and Al-Shorta in continental competition. The match will be broadcast live on the Fancode app.
A victory for East Bengal would provide a significant morale boost for the squad and underline the group’s potential, while a home defeat would be a setback Habas will aim to avoid; for Al-Shorta, another win would place them in a strong position to win the group, whereas a draw or loss could prove frustrating for the Iraq Stars League side.