East Bengal to host Al-Shorta at Salt Lake Stadium on 13 October 2026
East Bengal will host Al-Shorta at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Tuesday, 13 October 2026 in the AFC Champions League Two 2026-27, with the hosts seeking to build on an encouraging away point from their opening group match against Al-Hussein and Al-Shorta aiming to maintain a 100% start after beating Al-Seeb in matchweek one.
Tickets for the home clash are available for offline purchase and online redemption from 10 October to 12 October at VYBK Gate 1 Box Office (11 AM to 5 PM) and the East Bengal Club Tent (12 PM to 7 PM). Antonio Habas acknowledged his side were unable to win their opener but is aiming for a more efficient display at home; East Bengal are expected to rely on defensive organisation and improved decisiveness in the final third to convert opportunities.
Al-Shorta opened the campaign with a gritty home win over Al-Seeb and head to Kolkata unbeaten in their last eight competitive matches. The Iraqi side will look to create and convert high-quality chances while maintaining a commanding defensive shape to protect any advantage; another win would strengthen their position in the group, while a draw or loss would be a frustrating outcome for them.
East Bengal will be without Naorem Mahesh Singh as a long-term absentee, and striker Effiong Nsungusi is yet to join the squad; Al-Shorta should have a full squad available. This fixture will be the first-ever meeting between East Bengal and Al-Shorta in continental competition. Probable lineups named in the preview list East Bengal as: Prabhsukhan Gill (GK), Hardik Bhatt, David Zivulic, Anwar Ali, Jay Gupta, Mohammed Rashid, Jeakson Singh, Bipin Singh, PV Vishnu, Dani Ramirez, Lukasz Zwolinski; Al-Shorta as: Jalal Hassan (GK), Ahmad Zero, Ruben Ramirez, Maytham Jabbar, Ahmed Yahya, Abdoul Moumouni, Cristian Barco, Kingsley Kuku, Bassam Shakir, Hussein Al Saedi, Leonel Ateba.
Dani Ramirez scored East Bengal’s first goal of the tournament against Al-Hussein and was highlighted as a proactive presence in the opposition half; the Spanish midfielder will be relied upon to vary his movement, deliver final-third passes into danger zones and finish chances to help East Bengal secure a positive result. The preview emphasised Ramirez must be decisive with his final-third service and smart with his movement to arrive at the end of opportunities.
Kingsley Kuku is described as a driving force in Al-Shorta’s attack after scoring 18 goals for his side in the 2025-26 Iraq Stars League; he will seek to link play, find empty spaces for teammates and use clever off-the-ball runs to get into goal-scoring positions and convert chances. The match preview underlines Kuku’s role in creating pressure on the hosts through intelligent combinations and efficient finishing.
The AFC Champions League Two match between East Bengal and Al-Shorta will kick off at 7:15 PM IST on Tuesday, 13 October 2026 at the Salt Lake Stadium and will be shown live on the FanCode app; the fixture comes before East Bengal begin their title defence in the Indian Super League (ISL).
