East Bengal face Punjab FC in the ISL-XI match at the Salt Lake Stadium on Monday.

The last time they faced each other in the ISL-X, Punjab FC ran roughshod over the red and gold brigade and one Madih Talal proved to be the star with a goal and two assists in the 4-1 rout.

In the summer Talal switched over to East Bengal and was settling down well. But as luck would have it, Talal picked up a knee injury against Odisha FC last Thursday and is ruled out for the rest of the season.

To add to coach Oscar Bruzon's woes, midfielder Jeakson Singh will miss Tuesday's match after getting a red card against Odisha FC. With Saul Crespo already out nursing a hamstring injury, Jeakson's absence will force Bruzon to rejig his line-up.

Anwar Ali could play as the defensive midfielder or Hector Yuste, who will start on Tuesday, may take the No. 6 position. In that case, Anwar and Hijazi Maher will be two central defenders.

Striker Dimitrios Diamantakos is also likely to return from injury.