East Bengal and Mohun Bagan Super Giant begin their Kalinga Super Cup campaigns in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, the first day of the tournament.
While East Bengal take on Hyderabad FC, Bagan face I-League club Sreenidi Deccan FC in Group A matches.
The two Calcutta clubs find themselves in precarious positions. Bagan, reeling from their hat-trick of losses in the ISL, parted ways with Juan Ferrando and appointed Antonio Lopez Habas, their technical director, as the head coach.
Misfiring foreigners and injuries to key players have turned their season upside down. Habas will not be there in the dug-out on Tuesday with assistant coach Clifford Miranda taking charge.
East Bengal, on the other hand, have been impressive defensively but the lack of goals is giving coach Carles Cuadrat a creased forehead. The likes of Cleiton Silva, Nandhakumar Sekar and Javier Siverio need to be more precise in front of goal.
On Monday, Spanish forward Mario Barco scored a brace to help Inter Kashi thrash Rajasthan United Football Club 5-0 and qualify for the group stage.