Habas Banks on 'Solid Team Structure' as East Bengal Face Al Hussein Test in ACL Two Opener

East Bengal head coach Antonio Lopez Habas is aiming to convert their decent start to the season into a productive outing in the AFC Champions League Two group stages.

East Bengal FC begin their 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two campaign today with a daunting opener against Jordanian champions Al Hussein SC, in Group D alongside Iraq's Al Shorta SC and Oman's Al Seeb Club.

The Red and Gold Brigade earned this spot the hard way - a dramatic 4-1 extra-time comeback over Kuwait's Al-Arabi SC in the preliminary round, with Jay Gupta's stoppage-time strike forcing extra time before goals from Mohammed Rashid, David Lalhlansanga and Rohit Danu sealed it. That win made history as India's first continental victory over a Kuwaiti side.

Al Hussein arrive as formidable opposition: three-time consecutive Jordanian Pro League champions known for tactical discipline and physical intensity.

For East Bengal, under coach Antonio López Habas, this marks their first group-stage continental second-tier appearance since 2015 and their ninth overall in Asia's second-tier competition.

Their best-ever run coming at the 2013 AFC Cup, where they reached the semi-finals. Fresh off their historic ISL 2025-26 title, the Kolkata giants will hope to carry that domestic momentum into a tough West Asian group. A positive result today would be a strong statement of intent for their continental return.

"We are excited to participate in the ACL Two Group Stage. I really want to play, but my players are the ones who have to play. I think this is a unique opportunity for Indian football and for us. We will do our best to play as a team and implement the solid structure that our team has," Habas said at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

East Bengal have travelled to Jordan without a foreign striker. Also, a key member, Chris Ikonomidis, had his travel suspended due to a viral fever. The Torch Bearers will be taking the field with considerable absentees, but Habas believes they can replicate their recent upsurge.

"We have had very good results for two months, and we want to continue with this streak of results outside of India. We want to replicate that success in tomorrow's game against Al-Hussein," he added.