Habas confident as East Bengal prepare to host Al-Shorta in AFC Champions League Two on October 13, 2026
East Bengal head coach Antonio Lopez Habas expressed confidence ahead of his team's AFC Champions League Two 2026–27 Group D home match against Al-Shorta SC at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on October 13, 2026. Habas and defender Jay Gupta spoke to reporters in a pre-match press conference on the eve of the fixture.
The match is East Bengal's second meeting with the Iraqi Stars League champions in Group D and will kick off at 7:15 PM (IST). The club announced the game will be streamed live on the FanCode app and said tickets are available via @district_india; the fixture precedes East Bengal's Indian Super League title defence.
Habas outlined his assessment of the squad's condition and preparations, saying: “Hello, good evening, everyone. The preparations are good for the Al-Shorta match. We’ve got the full team back after the FIFA break. The team is also very confident to face off against Al-Shorta SC.” He added: “We’ve only two injured players; other than that the whole team is fit and ready to play against Al-Shorta SC.”
Addressing tactical lessons from recent games, Habas reflected on changes tried against Al-Hussein and the need for consistency across both halves: “Yes, against Al-Hussein we made quite a few experiments in the second half which didn’t work in our favour, and the opponents also sacked their coach before the match. But this match will be different; we have to play both halves with equal determination and importance. In football, the first half is just as important as the second half, so there might be some adverse situations in the second half; for that, we may have to shift to our plan B as well.” He emphasised a team-focused approach to Al-Shorta's personnel: “I don’t want to focus on any one of the players of Al-Shorta SC; instead, we base our strategies based on the whole team. So that’s the point: they might have world-class strikers, but for me, every player is important, and we need to have plans for everyone.”
Habas also commented on his foreign recruits and squad balance: “No, I am not at all worried. Loba and Lukasz have had only nine training sessions so far. It’s a process, so they will improve day by day. They’ve performed well so far, and in the upcoming days they will get more game time to show their skills. And the match against Al-Shorta will be very important for all of us, including Loba and Lukasz.” On the mix of players he said: “We’ve got very good Indian players as well, and for me the Indian players are just as good as my foreign players. So I don’t think Al-Shorta will have any extra advantage with seven foreigners. You may have seven foreigners, but that doesn’t mean you have to play with all of them at the same time. That’s why I believe that we’ve a balanced team with Indians and foreigners.”
Defender Jay Gupta described the team's scouting and personal mindset ahead of the match: “Yes, we’ve analysed our opponents’ strengths and weaknesses very well. We’ve seen their first group stage matches well. It’s our home match, so we are very excited to face any team that comes our way.” On international duty he said: “No, I think it’s a privilege to play for the National team. I don’t think it will affect the workload. For every youngster, it’s a very good opportunity to showcase your talent and play against strong opponents like Panama, Brazil and Uruguay. So we need more matches like this under our belt to prepare well.”
Gupta spoke about his versatility and his connection to the venue, adding: “I am very fortunate to play in different positions as per the requirements of my coaches so far. I will like to contribute more like this in future whenever needed, because the team’s success comes first rather than individual milestones.” He also said: “For me, the Salt Lake Stadium is a lucky ground. Last year around this time during Durga Puja, I joined East Bengal. Got my first goal here in Kolkata in East Bengal colours too. So with the blessings of Ma Durga, I hope we can win the match and take all three points.” He finished: “I don’t think Al-Shorta is the strongest opponent in the group. We will play in front of our home crowd and would like to win the match, as I believe that East Bengal is the strongest opponent.”
The club’s pre-match social media message described the fixture as East Bengal’s first #ACLTwo home game, listing details as “VYBK, Kolkata 13 October, Tuesday 7:15 PM Live on @FanCode Tickets available on @district_india,” and used the hashtags #JoyEastBengal and #EBFCInAsia. Fans can follow the match live on the FanCode app.
East Bengal will host Al-Shorta SC at Salt Lake Stadium on October 13, 2026, with kick-off scheduled for 7:15 PM (IST), and the fixture comes before the club begins its Indian Super League title defence.
