LIVESTREAM Norway: Vålerenga Trolls @ Oslo Vikings, Sept. 5, 15:00 CET (3 pm, 09:00 am ET)

The Norwegian League of American Football returns to the field for the first time since July 2019 as the Vålerenga Trolls travel across Norway’s capital city of Oslo to face crosstown rivals and the defending Norwegian champions, the Oslo Vikings.

The Norwegian season was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic so this is somewhat of a historic event as the 10-time Norwegian champion Trolls take on the Vikings who are looking to win their fifth title in a row and 14th overall.

These two teams met twice in 2019 with Oslo taking both games handily, 36-13 and 52-0.

Vikings head coach Derek Mann, who is in his ninth season with Oslo after arriving as a quarterback in 2012, will be aiming to win his sixth Norwegian title. He has won three of those championships as a head coach. His quarterback is 21-year-old Norwegian Wilhelm Domaas who is in his first year as the starter. The athletic Domaas has a strong arm and will be targeting slotback Andre Wang and wide receiver Fredrik Fjeldseth. His backfield features running backs Jesper Jørgensen and Swede Johannes Nilsson, who played for the Uppsala 86ers in 2019 and 2020 in the Swedish Superserien. Veteran Stian Klyve anchors the offensive line. He too played in Sweden in 2021, starting at left guard for Swedish finalists, the Stockholm Mean Machines. Another key lineman is right tackle Elias Kjelling.

On defense, defensive end Thomas Sundby plays an important role along with defensive back Per Gaarden.

The Trolls, winners of 10 Norwegian titles, enter the 2021 season under head coach Le’Von Warr. He has a young team led on offense by quarterback Johannes Moe who is well protected by an offensive line anchored by tackle Christian Sæterhagen. Running back Andreas Henstein is another key to the offense.

Defensively, Vålerenga is led by linebackers Atle Haaland and Christoffer Delgado while defensive back Roger Kleivdal anchors a strong Trolls secondary.

Although the Vikings under Derek Mann are favorites based on more recent records, coach Warr has done an excellent job in developing the program in east Oslo and could surprise. Besides, a crosstown rivalry always brings out the best in teams.