Saturday sees the Great Britain Lions take on the Italian national team to kick off the 2023 International Federation of American Football U19 European Championship.
Italy is coming off a great performance in the IFAF U19 European Group B Championship which saw them defeat Spain in a 24-0 blowout, only to fall short to a very strong Finnish side in a game that ended 33-23 in the favor of Finland, leaving the Italian team with the silver medal.
Quarterback Alessandro Zerbo of Milan played a big part in the first win, before unfortunately leaving the second game due to injury. The Italian defense was also a force to be reckoned with in the 2022 Group B Championship, led by Zanon Filippo and Rosi Leonardo, who managed to shut down the Finnish run game early in the game. None of the aforementioned players, however, have been listed to make a return to the team this year.
Great Britain had a similar story, losing in their first game to Finland in a close game, before defeating Spain 28-14 in the third place game.
Team Great Britain @ Team Italy, April 8, 21:00 CET (9 pm, 3 pm EDT)
The Lions’ squad has seen a lot of changes in the last year however, particularly in the quarterback room. Quarterbacks Josh Allsebrook, Bailey Man and Alfie Birks, who were all key parts to the team’s success last year, have all moved on from the team; SGS Pride teammates Finley Guyan and Joseph McGovern will instead take their spots as they both make their U19 international debuts.
Despite the many roster changes Great Britain have seen, a handful of playmakers remain on the roster from last year, namely wideout Harry Buckland of SGS, who really shone in the game against Finland, racking up 133 yards and a touchdown on four receptions.
65 yard TD vs Finland National Team (Full game stats 4 rec 133yds 1TD) pic.twitter.com/YLAgd92z3O
— Harry Buckland 6 ft 1.5 192lbs (@HarryBuckland_) July 12, 2022
NFL Academy safety Vinnie Maxfield is another familiar name on the roster, who forced three turnovers in his two competitive starts for the Lions.
Italy will field an “experimental” team to create a bridge between the youth and senior national teams.
Similar to the British squad, Italy will play with an all-new quarterback room consisting of Gabrieli Zingarelli of Bergamo, Tommaso Bairo (Blitz Cirie’) and Rhinos’ Dario Di Girolamo.
Head coach Giorgio Longhi will lead from the sideline supported by offensive co-ordinator Andrea Polenta and defensive coordinator Mauro Solmi.
Team Italy roster
