East Bengal will take on NorthEast United in the bottom half at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Wednesday, February 8. The hosts slip to eighth place in the current Indian Super League (ISL) points table, while the visitors sit at the bottom of the standings, having picked up just four points during the 2022-23 season.
Stephen Constantine’s side bounced back with a 1-0 win against Kerala Blasters in the previous game after losing four games on the trot. They are more or less likely to finish between eighth and tenth in the league table as seventh-placed Odisha FC already have a nine-point lead.
On the other hand, NorthEast United have struggled from the beginning till date. The Highlanders are opponents that were easy to play against due to the lack of investment in the team. Vincenzo Alberto Annese did not manage to completely turn the season around, but he relatively instilled confidence compared to the team coached by Marco Balbul.
East Bengal vs NorthEast United: Team News
East Bengal will be without Mobashir Rahman and VP Suhair on Wednesday, while the visitors will welcome their top scorer Wilmar Gil back from suspension.
East Bengal vs NorthEast United: Predicted Squad
East Bengal: Kamaljit Singh; Mohammad Rakip, Sarthak Golui, Ivan Gonzalez, Jerry Lalrinzuala; Sumeet Passi, Souvik Chakrabarti, Alex Lima, Naorem Mahesh Singh; Jake Jervis and Clayton Silva.
NorthEast United: Mirshad Michu; Alex Saji, Gaurav Bora, Aaron Evans, Gurjinder Kumar; Emil Benny, Joseba Beitia, Pragyan Gogoi, Jithin MS; Wilmar Jordan and Romain Philippoteaux.
East Bengal vs NorthEast United telecast details
The match between East Bengal and NorthEast United will be telecast on Star Sports channels while live streaming will be available on Disney+ Hotstar.
East Bengal vs NorthEast United Prediction
Despite a difficult season under the tutelage of Stephen Constantine, Cleiton Silva has enough firepower to overcome his upcoming opponent.
Prediction: East Bengal 2-1 NorthEast United