The Swiss national team will host the current silver medalist, Team Sweden, in this International Federation of American Football European qualifying matchup, Sunday, October 16 in Basel, Switzerland.
This is the first time the Swiss will play this season, while the visiting Swedes are coming off of a close win last week against Serbia. The last time Team Switzerland took the field, they lost to Team Russia 36-9 a year ago. Expect the Swiss to give the Swedish national team all they can handle as underdogs in this game.
Sweden’s offense will look to find an identity after a lackluster performance in last week’s game, mustering up a mere 165 yards of total offense. Philip Juhlin will look to spread the ball around as a veteran quarterback. Look for the experienced passer to target Edvin Almeida and Kevin Börzei as Sweden needs to create some big plays on offense. Playmakers Oliver Lundberg, Anton Jallai and Johan Hallgren also hope to get some space to move the sticks more consistently for Sweden
Defensively, however, Sweden looked great holding Serbia to 165 yards, blocking a punt for a touchdown and holding them to well under 200 yards. Coach BD Kennedy will have his defensive unit ready to go once again as veterans Mattias Erikson and Malcolm Engstrom look to get Sweden back in gold contention. Young talent such as Berlin Thunder linebacker Ludvig Myren and teenager defensive tackle Thomas Collins also will be impact players in this matchup. Collins is a sought-after college prospect with scholarship offers from several division-one schools including Oregon, Penn State, Texas, & Texas A&M.
On the home side, head coach Chris Winter looks to get his team into Group A and contend for gold in the future. At quarterback, young Christian Wartmann of the Winterthur Warriors will look to manage the game. At receiver Allgäu Comets (GFL) star Pascal Ruegg and 6’4″ pass catcher Sven Reipl give him options on the outside. Upfront, Jurg Stadler and Michael Derungs lead a young offensive line that will look to open holes for running backs Ibony Mbungu and Leon Simioni.
Defensively, Hamburg Sea Devils (ELF) star and NFL International Combine standout Tim Haenni will anchor the Swiss defensive line. At linebacker veterans Fabio Rothmund and CFL draft pick Lukas Ruoss will give Switzerland a tough second level to run against. In the secondary former Dresden Monarch Tim Haggman will be the leader of this unit.
Expect another defensive battle today as both Sweden and Switzerland look find an offensive identity and will be relying on their defense and special teams to get them the edge today.
Sweden @ Switzerland, October 16th, 14:00 CET (2 pm, 8 am ET)
