ATK Mohun Bagan vs SC East Bengal, Kolkata Derby: ISL set to witness magic of 100-year-old rivalry

The grand day when the Indian Super League (ISL) will taste the magic of its first-ever Kolkata Derby between ATK Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in the tournament at the Tilak Maidan in Goa on Friday.

ATK Mohun Bagan is a new entity formed by the merger of two clubs – ATK and Mohun Bagan whereas SC East Bengal is entering the competition after finding new owners in Shree Cements after years of dominance in the I-League.

The heated-rivalry between Mohun Bagan (now ATK Mohun Bagan) and East Bengal is over a century now. The two iconic clubs met for the first time on August 8, 1921. And the meeting between ATK Mohun Bagan and SC East Bengal is set to start new dawn for the monumental rivalry between the two Kolkata clubs.

Kolkata Derby - a rivalry of ages

The Kolkata Derby – between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan – is regarded as one of the most passionate and heated rivalries in world football and is counted among the most elite encounters in the world of football.

Bhaichung Bhutia remains the top-scorer in the history of Kolkata Derby with 19 goals under his belt while playing for both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.

Carrying forward the rivalry into the competition, SC East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan will take on each other for the first in what will be the first-ever Kolkata Derby of ISL. It will also mark the opening match for SC East Bengal in ISL.

The rivalry between the two Kolkata clubs, which is century old, has produced record-breaking attendance. The record of Kolkata Derby audience stands at 1,31,000 in the 1997 Federation at the Salt Lake Stadium.

However, on Friday, the Kolkata Derby will be played behind closed doors due to COVID-19 protocols.

ATK Mohun Bagan’s ISL 2020-21 season started with a win over Kerala Blasters whereas East Bengal will start their journey on Friday with the Kolkata Derby.

SC East Bengal vs ATK Mohun Bagan - Squads:

SC East Bengal

Goalkeepers: Debjit Majumder, Sankar Roy, Mirshad Michu, Rafique Ali

Defenders: Samad Mallick, Abhishek Ambekar, Daniel Fox, Scott Neville, Narayan Das, Mohamad Irshad, Gurtej Singh, N Rohen Singh, Lalramchullova, Rana Gharami, Anil Chawan

Midfielders: Sehnaj Singh, Matti Steinmann, Jacques Maghoma, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Wahengbam Luwang, Bikash Jairu, Yumnam Singh, Surchandra Singh, Loken Meitei, Mohammed Rafique, Aaron Amadi-Holloway, Anthony Pilkington, Milan Singh, Haobam Singh

Forwards: Balwant Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua, CK Vineeth, Girik Khosla, Harmanpreet Singh

ATK Mohun Bagan

Goalkeepers: Arindam Bhattacharja, Dheeraj Singh, Avilash Paul, Arsh Shaikh, Aryan Niraj Lamba

Defenders: Tiri, Pritam Kotal, Prabir Das, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose, Sumit Rathi

Midfielders: Pronay Halder, Bradden Inman, Javier Hernandez, Edu Garcia, Carl McHugh, Glan Martins, Jayesh Rane, Michael Soosairaj, Boris Singh, Regin Michael, Sahil Sheikh, N Engson Singh

Forwards: David Williams, Roy Krishna, Manvir Singh, Md. Fardin Ali Molla

SC East Bengal vs ATK Mohun Bagan - Key Stats:

• Goals scored: East Bengal: 320 | Mohun Bagan: 313
• Last 5 meetings: Mohun Bagan 1 win | East Bengal 2 win | Draw 2
• Biggest win: East Bengal thrashing Mohun Bagan 5-0 in 1975 IFA Shield
• Head-to-head: East Bengal winning 129, Mohun Bagan 119 from 371 matches
• Overall Trophy Count: Mohun Bagan 253 | East Bengal 149