East Bengal head coach Oscar Bruzon revealed on Tuesday that new arrivals Miguel Figueira and Kevin Sibille will not be available for selection for the side’s Durand Cup 2025 opener against South United FC.

The Red and Gold Brigade will take on debutant South United in the lung opener of the 134th edition of the Durand Cup at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Wednesday.

“Regarding Sibille and Figueira, we have an issue because we are already waiting for the ITC (International Transfer Certificate), but the regulations of this tournament need players to be registered 48 hours before the game. For tomorrow, we will probably have Saul [Crespo], Dimi [Dimitrios Diamantakos], and Rashid,” Bruzon told reporters on the eve of the match. Mohammed Rashid is the other new foreign signing acquired by the club.

The Spaniard also revealed that Indian midfielder Souvik Chakrabarti, who recently penned a two-year extension with East Bengal, will be unavailable due to an injury.

“We are trying to understand where the players stand. We will try to field a competitive team because South United has a lot of young players, a lot of energy. I would tell you that we are a superior team right now only on paper because we don’t have enough preparation,” Bruzon said of the opening fixture.

“I need to be very cautious because we have only completed five training sessions together. Tomorrow’s game is going to be difficult, but the good thing is our second game is on 6th of August and I hope the team will be in better shape by then,” he added.