Serbia set to face Team Czech Republic as IFAF European Championships continue

Team Serbia will play host to the Czech Republic, Sunday, October 27 at City Stadium in Pozarevac in Serbia’s opening game of the IFAF 2020 European Championship Group A qualification tournament.

Serbia and the Czech Republic play in Division A which also includes Team France, the defending European champions.

The French national team defeated the Czechs 28-3 three weeks ago in the first game of the three team division.

The Serbians have not played a game since 2017 but head coach Doug Adkins has assembled a 45 man roster which includes 10 members of the Serbian champions, the Kragujevac Wild Boars and eight from SBB Vukovi Belgrade. Adkins quarterback for this game will be David Hanomihl-Lukić (Resita Locomotives) who he has relied on in previous tournaments.

Adkins is no stranger to international tournaments. He coached Serbia to a 56-0 whipping of Team Hungary in 2015 and a 17-0 blanking of Switzerland the following year. He was the defensive coordinator for the Team Finland teams that won the 1985 European title.

The last time Serbia took the field in an international game was in 2018 when they downed Turkey 14-7 and also defeated a Pro Hunt Athletes team 14-0.

These two nations have never faced each other in international competition.

Team Czech Republic head coach Sebastian Fandert will likely rely on more or less the same roster as he had against France. That squad featured 20 players from the Prague Black Panthers, who reached the Austrian Football League semifinals this year.  while another 18 players come from the teams from the top league in the Czech Republic with the Ostrava Steelers, Brno Alligators and Usti nad Labem Blades having the largest contingents (four each) on the team.

Prior to the loss to France, the last time the Czech national team took the field was in the Three Nations Cup a year ago when Team Hungary defeated Team Czech Republic 23-15 in the final to capture the Cup.

Both teams have a reputation for their physical play but Adkins experience and success as a national team head coach and home field, may give the edge the the Serbians.

The game is being shown on Serbian national TV and is not available as a livestream.