In a game that already has midseason playoff implications for both teams, the Göteborg Marvels (0-3) head to Österängens IP field in Uppsala to face the 1-2 Uppsala 86ers in Swedish Superserien Friday night action.
In the five-team league, this game has become a must-win game for both teams.
The 86ers won their opening game of the season beating the Örebro Black Knights 26-12 but lost to both the Carlstad Crusaders and Stockholm Mean Machines. Meanwhile, Göteborg lost two close games to Stockholm and the Black Knights and also dropped one to the Carlstad Crusaders.
Uppsala quarterback John Rock is the 4th best passer in the Swedish league with 412 yards and six touchdowns. Isac Vikman as his favorite target averaging 71 yards a game. Gustav Bowall is also a key receiver along with Natti Habte. The 86ers ground game has been weak and running backs Alexander Wikström and Daniel Lindfors will have to find a way behind the blocking of Australian linemen Jackson Broe and Brendan Oswin.
The Marvels quarterbacking situation has been difficult due to minor injuries to starter Jonathan Anderson. Running back Gerard Johnson was pressed into service in the loss to Carlstad. In fact, he has thrown for 318 yards and two touchdowns while Anderson has thrown for 259 and two touchdowns. Johnson has rushed for a total of 95 yards so far in three games (he was hurt early in first game and played quarterback in the second) and three touchdowns while Alpha Jalloh has rushed for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Defensively, both teams have struggled with Uppsala giving up 91 points in three games while the Marvels have been surrendering an average of 39 points a game.
Kickoff is 7:00 pm (1p EST) and the game is being broadcast live on CMore in Sweden (PPV) and shown in a tape delay at 10:20 pm on TV4.
Watch the game live (Pay per View) by clicking here. The broadcast is “semi geo-restricted”. A Swedish credit/bank card is necessary. Click on the button that says “Standard Sport”. Then fill in your email address, name and password and click Skapa konto, Open account. Add your credit card number. You can choose two weeks for free “Prova 2 veckor gratis” or you can choose to watch a single game. The game costs 99 Swedish kronor, or about $11 while a subscription is 199 kronor per month.