Margao, October 17 (H.S.): Churchill Brothers SC Goa will face defending champions East Bengal FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2026–27 on Sunday at the Fatorda Stadium. The match will mark the beginning of East Bengal’s title-defence campaign, while Churchill Brothers will look to build on the confidence gained from their victory over Mumbai City FC.

Churchill Brothers made an impressive start to their ISL campaign, defeating Mumbai City FC 2–1 in their debut match in the competition. Gaurav Bora opened the scoring for the team, while Colombian forward Sebastian Gutierrez struck late in the game to secure the victory.

However, Churchill Brothers head coach Dimitris Dimitriou believes his team still has considerable room for improvement. “Of course, we won and secured the first three points, but there is definitely a lot of scope for improvement in our game. We have worked hard and analysed our performance. I am confident that we will play better football on Sunday,” he said.

East Bengal, meanwhile, will begin their league campaign following a demanding schedule of domestic and continental competitions. The squad has been strengthened by several new signings, including goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa, midfielder Dani Ramírez, Australian attacking player Chris Ikonomidis, forward Ake Loba and Polish striker Łukasz Gikiewicz.

East Bengal recently suffered a 2–3 defeat against Iraq’s Al-Shorta in the AFC Champions League Two. David Lalhlansanga scored both goals for the Kolkata-based club in that encounter.

East Bengal head coach Antonio López Habas described the match against Churchill Brothers as a challenging contest but made it clear that his team would be targeting all three points.

“This is a dangerous match for us, and we are up against a dangerous team. Our objective is to secure three points. We respect them, but we need to raise the level of our game,” Habas said.

**An Old Rivalry Gets a New Chapter**

The two clubs share a long history of encounters in the National Football League and the I-League. Their previous meeting, in February 2020, ended in a 1–1 draw. Sunday’s fixture will mark the first time the two sides face each other in the Indian Super League.

Provat Lakra will also be among the players to watch, having left East Bengal to join Churchill Brothers. Playing on home turf, Churchill Brothers will aim to extend their winning run, while the defending champions will seek all three points to make a strong start to their title-defence campaign.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar