The French national team will host Team Serbia Sunday, October 29 at the Parc des Sports in Avignonas as the two teams face each other to decide seventh place in the 2023 IFAF European Men’s Championship.
France suffered a tough 7-6 loss to Great Britain in a game played at Butts Park Arena in Coventry, Great Britain this past August while Serbia lost 13-7 to Denmark at Gentofte Stadium in Copenhagen.
Team France head coach Jean-Philippe Dinglor has two excellent quarterbacks at his disposal with veteran Sullivan Silverio and young Leo Cremades, who blend well with the offense. Unfortunately, many of the French national team members who played in the European League of Football have apparently declined to play in this game according to Dinglor:
“Many of the senior players in the ELF are tired and/or injured, so much so that some are unavailable, such as running back Nicolas Khandar who played two seasons with the French D1 and the ELF. On the other hand, for those who have played less in ELF, this match is an opportunity to show themselves.”
Predrag Šćekić, head coach of Team Serbia has changed the composition of his lineup compared to the game against Denmark according to defensive coordinator, Danilo Mijušković:
“In relation to the game with Denmark, I think we are much more prepared, primarily because we had more time for the players to familiarize themselves with the system, especially as far as offense and defense are concerned. The French are a very high-quality team and the game they lost in Great Britain is not very relevant because they lacked players from the strongest European league, ELF, but they will surely come out with the strongest possible lineup against us, given that the game is played on their field. As for our composition, it will be partly changed compared to the previous match, but I believe that we are better compared to that match, although some players will certainly be missing due to personal commitments and injuries, we have several new names from strong European leagues who will debut in this match and significantly strengthen the competition, especially in defense. Along with them, there are a lot of debutants, young but very high-quality players. Of course, we are going for victory and 7th place in Europe, which will certainly mean something to everyone, especially the players because they invested a lot of effort and time, and I hope that this result will restore faith in American football in Serbia.”
Watch live. Team Serbia @ Team France, Oct. 29, 14:00 CET (2 pm, 9 am ET)
