Inter Kashi have no foreign players and one point, and Habas brings East Bengal to his old club in Pune
East Bengal play Inter Kashi at the Balewadi Stadium at 5pm IST on Friday, five months after beating them to win the ISL. Antonio López Habas, Kashi’s former coach, says he will make only a few changes.
Oct 23, 2026
The last time these two clubs met, East Bengal won the league. Alfred Planas put Inter Kashi ahead in Kolkata on 21 May, Youssef Ezzejjari equalised after half-time and Mohammed Rashid scored the winner, and the 2-1 result gave East Bengal their first top-flight title since 2004.
Five months on, neither side looks much like it did that night. East Bengal have a new coach and a 4-0 win to start their defence. Inter Kashi have one point from two games and no foreign players at all.
Kashi’s all-Indian squad
All 22 players Kashi have registered for the season are Indian, which makes them the only ISL club without a foreigner. Their summer went on FIFA registration bans over money owed to former players, and they will play their home games in Pune this season.
They lost their opener 2-0 to Kerala Blasters at the Balewadi Stadium on 11 October, with Vibin Mohanan scoring early and Andre Green adding a second in stoppage time. Against Odisha FC they went behind to a Pratik Chaudhari own goal and were saved by Thoi Singh’s 89th-minute equaliser, a 1-1 draw that got them off the mark.
Carlos Vaz Pinto had so few midfielders available for that game that he played four wingers. The Portuguese coach is not planning to sit deep against the champions anyway. “We cannot change our idea of the game because of the opponent,” he said. “We believe we can win.”
Habas and his old club
Antonio López Habas knows the club well. He coached Inter Kashi before East Bengal appointed him in July, and he has since added the Durand Cup with his new club.
East Bengal started their ISL season about a week after everyone else because of their AFC Champions League Two games, and made up for it at Fatorda on Sunday. Dani Ramírez scored from a free-kick inside two minutes and Bipin Singh came off the bench to score twice late on in the 4-0 win over Churchill Brothers.
The schedule is the problem now. East Bengal have one point from two Champions League Two group games and go to Oman next to play Al-Seeb. Habas says he will rotate a little, not much. “Yes, we will make a few changes, but not many, as many players are waiting to get their chances too,” he said, adding that all his players are fit. He was just as firm that Friday is not a warm-up for Asia. “Every match is important for us now, and we have to win both matches.”
Bipin may well start this time. “It was very important for me to score those goals, as I was eagerly waiting for my chance,” he said.
Kick-off and how to watch
Inter Kashi vs East Bengal kicks off at 5pm IST on Friday 23 October at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune. The match streams free on YouTube.
On form and on the team sheets, East Bengal should win this comfortably. Kashi held Kerala to one goal for most of their opener, though, and a side with nothing to lose against the champions can make an awkward afternoon of it.