SC East Bengal started their maiden Indian Super League campaign facing eternal rivals Mohun Bagan. While that storied rivalry between the two iconic clubs is expected to continue for years to come, East Bengal might be looking at the start of a different kind of rivalry when they meet Mumbai City FC on Tuesday.
This is a rivalry that could develop based on the ambitions that both teams have when it comes to wanting success and silverware.
While East Bengal are undisputedly one of the giants of Indian football and will always find a mention when it comes to trophies, Mumbai City are emerging with a serious footballing project.
After the City Football Group who own Manchester City acquired 65% stake in the Mumbai-based club, they invested heavily in the team.
Sergio Lobera arrived from FC Goa and many high-profile players followed, which clearly underlined their ambitions.
While their expensively assembled squad didn't hit the ground running, they are among the favourites in many people's books thanks to the experience and know-how of the players and the coach.
Lobera chose to bring a lot of players who played under him at FC Goa and helped them win the league phase of the ISL last season.
In that regard, even though East Bengal is a century old club, they are in a new league and with a squad that was assembled at the last moment.
Despite being the last team to arrive in Goa and with the shortest pre-season, they did admirably against ATK Mohun Bagan.
However, Antonio Habas' side usually allow opposition to enjoy possession but are deadly on the counter and that's how Bagan punished East Bengal.
Against Mumbai City, they'll face a different challenge as Lobera likes to play possession based football.
"I think both teams are in the same position, both teams are ambitious but that's not just East Bengal or Mumbai City," said Lobera prior to the match.
The Spaniard will welcome back their talisman Ahmed Jahouh who completed his suspension while all eyes will be on whether he will field both Bartholomew Ogbeche and Adam Le Fondre up front.
"The most important thing for me as a coach is our style of play which is non-negotiable and I try to take advantage of the best players of my team and maybe it's possible to play together and sometimes it's not possible," he said.
Lobera suggested that East Bengal are a well drilled side who deny opposition space to work with. A lot will depend on the likes of Anthony Pilkington, Jacques Maghoma and Matti Steinmann who looked sharp in the first game if East Bengal decide to go head on against Lobera's heavyweights.
"Mumbai are slightly different to ATK in terms of how they play and what they are good at and what they are not so good at. We do a lot of analysis on the opposition and we'll take each game as it comes," said East Bengal coach Robbie Fowler.