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Kolkata Derby: The Kolkata Derby is back after the Durand Cup final. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal will meet in Kolkata League (CFL 2026-27) on Monday. Mohun Bagan plans to play senior footballers to avenge the loss in the Durand final. On the other hand, East Bengal coach Antonio Lopez Habas was not willing to drop the seniors in Kolkata league derby because of the important match in AFC Champions League-Two on September 16.

Plans changed for the Edmunds

However, considering the importance of the derby, Habas finally changed his position. He allowed Durand Final hero Edmund Lalrindika, Sandeep Mandi and David Lalhlansanga to play in the Kolkata League derby. As a result, the initial plan to field only junior teams has now changed a lot.

Who are the seven seniors?

Seven footballers from East Bengal have been registered for the Kolkata League. Sauvik Chakraborty, Narendra Gehlot, Baris Singh and Asif Khan have already been cleared for the derby. This time they were joined by Edmund, Sandeep Mandi and David. Out of the seven people, Souvik and Asif are considered as sons of Bhoomiputra. As a result, East Bengal got a chance to field a relatively strong team against Mohun Bagan’s Manbir Singh, Liston Colaso, Sahal Abdul Samad.

Last ticket in just four and a half minutes

Even before the fight on the field, the heat of the derby was evident in ticket sales. About 2,000-2,500 tickets were released on a trial basis on Friday. And it was sold out in just four and a half minutes. The match will be played at Barasat Stadium on Monday at 5 pm. As Yuva Bharati Stadium is busy preparing for the India-Brazil match, this time the venue of the derby is the newly decorated Barasat Stadium.

There was confusion about the tickets

However, there was some confusion at first around ticket sales. The section of Barasat Stadium that was initially allocated for red-yellow fans was later shown to be green-maroon fans. Many fans faced the problem of not getting tickets when they went to buy tickets on the ‘District by Zomato’ app at 4pm on Friday. Later, however, a limited number of tickets are available in some sections.

IFA promises to correct the mistake

IFA Secretary Anirban Dutt said that any mistake in the distribution of tickets was promptly rectified. According to him, around 10 thousand spectators can sit in Barasat Stadium. The tickets are divided according to the entrance and seating of the supporters of the two teams. In the first phase, tickets were issued on a trial basis, so that any problems could be identified early.

Special attention to safety

The administration is also paying special attention to the security measures around the derby. IFA Secretary assured adequate police deployment. Barasat MLA Shankar Chattopadhyay is also looking after the whole matter. In the last few days before the match, IFA officials have visited the stadium and held several meetings with administrative officials and stadium staff.

How much will the image of Derby change with Edmunds?

Edmund Lalrindika was one of the heroes of East Bengal’s 4-1 win over Mohun Bagan in the Durand Final. That Edmund is also getting a chance to play in the Kolkata League Derby. Sandeep Mandi and David are also there. As a result, it can be said that the battle of the derby became more intense due to Habas’s decision. On the one hand, Mohun Bagan’s revenge target, on the other hand, an opportunity to boost confidence before the AFC match – all in all, the excitement around Monday’s derby in Barasta is high.