Five East Bengal players to watch as Al-Shorta visit Salt Lake in AFC Champions League Two

East Bengal will host Al-Shorta SC at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on October 13, 2026, in an AFC Champions League Two 2026-27 Group D fixture. It is the second group match for both clubs and East Bengal will have home advantage.

Under head coach Antonio Lopez Habas, East Bengal reached the group stage after a 4-1 victory over Kuwait’s Al-Arabi SC and opened Group D with a 2-2 draw against Jordan’s Al-Hussein. Al-Shorta SC, the Iraqi Stars League champions, come into the match following a 1-0 win over Al-Seeb. The Salt Lake game takes place before East Bengal begin their title defence in the Indian Super League.

Anwar Ali is expected to be central to East Bengal’s defensive plans and will need to coordinate with defensive partner Diego Živulić to limit Al-Shorta’s attacking threats. He will be tasked with winning aerial duels and dealing with dangerous deliveries into the penalty area. Habas will also require accurate forward distribution from Anwar to help build attacks from the back.

Dani Ramírez (Daniel Ramirez Fernandez), the Spanish attacking midfielder, is a primary creative outlet for East Bengal and scored following a rebound from Edmund’s initial shot in the 2-2 draw with Al-Hussein. Ramirez has registered goals and assists across AFC competitions, the Durand Cup and the IFA Shield. He will be relied upon to link play between the lines and to time runs on the counter-attack.

Mohammed Rashid, the Palestinian midfielder, scored and provided an assist in the 4-1 AFC qualifying win over Al-Arabi and produced an impressive outing against Al-Hussein in the opening Group D match. Rashid’s physical presence, attacking movement and shooting ability have been highlighted as reasons he is one of East Bengal’s key midfield recruits. His late runs into the box and support of the attacking line are traits East Bengal will expect to exploit against Al-Shorta.

PV Vishnu has emerged as a pacey wide threat capable of supplying crosses and passes for teammates including David Lalhlansanga, Edmund Lalrindika, Ake Loba and Lukasz Zwolinski. His directness on the flank and history of producing goals and crucial assists make him a potential outlet if East Bengal create space down the wings. Vishnu’s ability to run behind defences is noted as an attacking dimension the team can use in the match.

Lukasz Zwolinski, the 33-year-old striker signed for this season amid uncertainty over completing the signing of Effiong Nsungusi, brings extensive experience after 14 years in Europe and around 250 appearances in the top division of the Polish Ekstraklasa. He has made a couple of appearances in the qualifiers for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League and scored three goals for Poland’s U-20 team. Zwolinski opened his East Bengal account with a goal on his debut against NorthEast United FC in the IFA Shield.

The match will kick off at 7:15 PM (IST) and fans can watch live on the FanCode App. Tickets for the home fixture versus Al-Shorta 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 at the East Bengal Club Tent (12 PM to 7 PM).