East Bengal vs Al Shorta Predictions
East Bengal welcome Al Shorta to India for their first home fixture in this season’s AFC Champions League Two group stage.
A tight contest should be on the cards in Kolkata, with the visitors rarely involved in high-scoring encounters.
Under 2.5 goals is my best bet at Salt Lake Stadium.
Goals in Short Supply
- East Bengal have seen under 2.5 goals in 2 of their last 3 matches
- Al Shorta have seen under 2.5 goals in 7 of their last 8 matches (all competitions)
- Al Shorta kept a clean sheet in their last 4 matches (all competitions)
East Bengal and Al Shorta Set For First Encounter
East Bengal and Al Shorta will meet for the first time on Tuesday.
East Bengal Suffer IFA Shield Heartbreak
East Bengal return to action after a painful 1-0 defeat against Mohun Bagan in the IFA Shield final last Thursday.
Samir Zeljkovic’s goal shortly before half-time proved the difference at Salt Lake Stadium.
Antonio Lopez Habas’ side had secured their place in the final with an outstanding 7-2 win against NorthEast United. David Lalhlansanga scored a hat-trick in that impressive display.
A mixed run of form has seen East Bengal win three and lose two of seven games in the past two months.
The Red and Gold Brigade are competing in the AFC Champions League Two for the first time since 2016. The Indian side started their campaign with a 2-2 draw at Jordanian opponents Al Hussein last month.
Dani Ramirez and Anwar Ali gave the ISL outfit a two-goal advantage before the hosts fought back to rescue a point at Al-Hassan Stadium.
Al Shorta Maintain Solid Form
Al Shorta travel to Kolkata after a goalless draw at Al Talaba in the Iraq Stars League on Thursday.
In a fixture lacking in attacking quality, neither side could have much to complain about the final outcome. Match stats reflected the tight nature of the contest, with a combined shot tally of just 16, and xG totals of 1.06 and 0.92.
The Iraqi side had not played since a 2-0 home win against Al Kahrabaa before the international break.
Sami Trabelsi’s side have kept clean sheets in seven of their last eight matches, including their four most recent fixtures. They remain unbeaten across that eight-match run.
Al Shorta also made a successful start to their AFC Champions League Two campaign, with a 1-0 win against Al Seeb in September. Hussein Ali scored the only goal in Oman.
East Bengal vs Al Shorta Team News
East Bengal: (3-4-2-1) Phurba Tempa Lachenpa; Anwar Ali, Diego Zivulic, Lal Chungnunga; Hardik Bhatt, Jeakson Singh, Mohammed Rashid, Jay Gupta; Dani Ramirez, Bipin Singh; David Lalhlansanga.
Head coach Lopez Habas could be forced into at least one change to his first XI on Tuesday.
Sandip Mandi is doubtful to feature after coming off against Mohun Bagan after a nasty collision with Dejan Drazic. Vishnu PV is expected to come into the side.
David Lalhlansanga should lead the line after bagging a hat-trick in last week’s dominant win against NorthEast Utd.
Al Shorta: (4-2-3-1) Jalal Hassan; Ahmed Yahya, Ruben Ramirez, Maytham Jabbar, Abbas Fadhil; Boaz Ngalamulume, Kingsley Fidelis Kuku; Hussein Ali, Cristian Barco, Bassam Shakir; Leonel Ateba.
Head coach Trabelsi has a couple of injury issues this week. Mohanad Ali faces a late fitness test while Ahmad Farhan is expected to remain sidelined.