Barcelona Dragons set to face Vienna Vikings for berth in ELF Championship Game

| American Football | 09/11/2022

Today, the Barcelona Dragons will travel to Vienna to take on the Vikings as both look to cement their place in the European League of Football Championship game.

This will be the third time the two have met with the first two bouts ending in favor of the Vikings after the fourth-quarter swings.

Both the Vikings and the Dragons came into the first meeting undefeated. Barcelona shot out of the gates and were able to position themselves 20-8 up going into the fourth quarter. A fourth-quarter meltdown ensued however, and the Vikings walked away with a victory.

The second contest was a far more even affair with both teams being for the most part shut out by good defense. But again, as in the first game, the Dragons appeared to have a fourth-quarter meltdown and surrendered 17 points while scoring just eight.

The Dragons will be led into this semi-final with the best passer in the league in Zach Edwards who is currently in the form of his life. He stands head and shoulders over the rest of the league in the stats table with 3,325 yards and 36 touchdowns. His success in large part has been thanks to the help of Washington State alumnus Kyle Sweet.

The two have proved to be the league’s most deadly duo and borderline unstoppable when they’re in their groove. But keeping a consistent groove has been an issue for the pair, something they will have to remedy if they wish to walk out of this one with a win.

On the other side of the ball sits the stalwart Vienna Vikings whose consistency appears to be in direct contrast to that of the Dragons. An all-star offensive cast, which features the likes of Anton Wegan, Jordan Bouah, Exavier Edwards and Jackson Erdmann, has done wonders for the Vikings who have been able to remain steady and then explode in the final quarter of games.

The Vikings were forced to change stadiums earlier this week giving both teams the uneasy feeling of unfamiliarity. Ultimately, however, the game, as is the case in all games, will come down to who can play their brand of football for four quarters.

The Dragons are undoubtedly the more explosive of the two squads with a higher ceiling but a lack of composure and consistency. If the Dragons cannot resolve this, the day will likely belong to the Vikings.

Daniel Mackenzie is a Press Association graduate who works in journalism and communications in the third sector. Daniel began playing football for the London Warriors and Team Great Britain and has since played across Europe.