The 1-2 Örebro Black Knights pay a visit to Valhalla IP in Göteborg, Sweden Saturday to take on the Göteborg Marvels (0-2) in the first meeting between these two teams this year.
The is the Marvels first year back in the Swedish Superserien since 2008.
The Marvels opened their season with a tough 30-22 road loss to the Stockholm Mean Machines and followed that up by losing to the defending champion Carlstad Crusaders 56-21.
Örebro won their first game of the year last week in a come-from-behind thriller, beating the Stockholm Mean Machines 29-26. The Black Knights had dropped their opening two games, losing to Carlstad 39-32 and the Uppsala 86ers 26-12 (without starting quarterback Raleigh Yeldell).
This has already turned into a crucial game for Goteborg. In the tight five-team league with only six regular season games, falling behind 0-3 would be tough. The Black Knights faced the same situation last week and managed to pull out a win. Can the Marvels do the same?
Quarterback Jonathan Anderson will be back behind center for Göteborg after missing the game against Carlstad with an injury. He was replaced in that game by running back Gerard Johnson who threw for 204 yards and rushed for 46. With Anderson’s return, Johnson can finally play running back. He suffered an injury early in the loss to the Stockholm Mean Machines and was used sparingly in that game.
The versatile and tireless Alpha Jalloh, who rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns against the Crusaders will return to receiver and defensive back while also returning kicks. Hybrid linebacker/strong safety Jacob Rosén also plays a key role on defense for the Marvels.
For the Black Knights, Raleigh Yeldell III, while still not 100%, will start at quarterback following his superb performance, particularly in the second half against Stockholm. He threw three touchdown passes in the final two quarters, beautifully threading the needle on one to Johannes Lindeus. Running back Jen Biteus had a solid game and with Timmy Göransson, out for the season, Biteus will start again following his 87 yard performance against Stockholm. Lindeus has opened the season brilliantly and is the second leading receiver in Sweden averaging 109 yards a game.
Defensively, the Örebro is led by LB Filip Jönsson and veteran corner Johan Stål.
Look for this to be decided by big plays with explosive players on both teams.
The Facebook feed will go live 15 minutes before kickoff.