Undefeated Vienna Vikings host Austrian rivals Raiders Tirol

| American Football | 08/19/2023

The undefeated Vienna Vikings will look to maintain their perfect record and fend off an upset bid from their longtime Austrian rivals as they host the Raiders Tirol on Saturday.

With a win on the road last week against the Wroclaw Panthers, the Vikings officially clinched the Eastern Conference and a top-3 seed in the playoff bracket.  They are basically guaranteed to be a top-2 seed in the league, which would give them a first round bye in the postseason.  Their last two games are against the lowly Fehervar Enthroners and Prague Lions, which could give the Vikings a chance to rest some starters and get some depth players valuable experience.  However, considering that they are facing their biggest rivals this week, we can expect them to keep their foot on the gas.

On the other side, the Raiders are also in good shape in the playoff race with a record of 7-2.  However, their path to the playoffs is no walk in the park, as their two games are against the Vikings and the 7-2 Stuttgart Surge.  These games will be challenges to not only help them reach the postseason, but to prove that they can compete with the league’s best teams.  Regardless, we know that they will already have enough motivation going into this game against their Austrian rivals on Saturday.

These teams met back on July 9th in Innsbruck, where the Vikings secured a dominant 34-13 victory on the road.  Vienna took a 20-6 lead into halftime, and a quick touchdown in the third quarter effectively put the game out of reach.  The Vikings’ offense had their way with the Raiders defense, as they averaged 7.6 yards per play on the afternoon.

The Raiders’ roster will look a little different on Saturday than it had been in the last meeting, with quarterback Joe Dolincheck and receiver Trevon Sidney now serving as the American imports on offense.  The defense which was gashed by the Vikings’ well-rounded attack, though, is largely the same.  They will need to step up their game if they want to give their team a chance to win.

A current student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carter played football in high school and has been a lifelong avid football fan.