The 8-4 Barcelona Dragons are travelling to Austria this weekend to meet the 10-2 Vienna Vikings for a third time this season. 

On Sunday, one of these two teams will advance to the 2022 Championship Game of the European League of Football played in Klagenfurt at the 28BLACK ARENA on Sunday, 25 September. 

In an interview, Dragon head coach Andrew Weidinger noted that they have to put together two great halves against the Vikings, not just one, to win. “We got to do a better job of making plays in the second-half of those games,” Weidinger explained the two losses against the Vikings in the regular season. “We put together two really good halves against these guys and unfortunately, they were the first halves of two separate games.” 

Weidinger added that the Dragons need to eliminate turnovers and stop the Vikings from making big plays to have a shot at this year’s Championship Game. “[…] We got to figure out how to limit the turnovers. It's plagued us a little bit this year, turnovers in the red zone. We had a costly one in that first game against [the Vikings] and another one in the second game as well. So, we got to figure out how to eliminate those turnovers and figure out how to stop them from making those big plays.”  

It's about the right mentality 

For the Dragons, it is almost a 180 degrees turnaround compared to their 2021 season. After having a losing record in their first season on the biggest stage of American football in Europe, the Spaniards came a long way and now have a shot at playing in the 2022 Championship Game. “You know, we're really proud of the success that we've had this season,” Weidinger noted in an interview. 

Overall, Weidinger is impressed by his players attitude and how they handle diversity. “I think it speaks volumes to the will of the players to come out and keep battling. Obviously, last season you know a lot of games didn't end in their favor but as the season went on, they kept battling and battling and you saw that as we started the season. They kept battling and battling and there's no quitting those guys. So, it's very cool to have a team like that, to have a group of guys like that who no matter the circumstances are going to do whatever they can to try to pull out a victory at the end of the day.” 

Do the Barcelona Dragons have the best fans in the world?

Dragons head coach Weidinger answers this questions with a clear cut ‘yes’. “It's very true when I first got this job, I was contacted by a number of fans saying hey we got the best fans in the league. And you know every fanbase says that, right,” Weidinger jokes. “There isn't a fan base on the planet that doesn't think they're the best fan base on the planet but these guys, they really are. […] We're all in it together. So, I will deeply miss them as the season comes to a close because they are an awesome group of people”. 

It remains to be seen how many of “the best fans in the world” will travel to Vienna to cheer on their team, but it is safe to say that the fans of American football are in for treat this weekend! 

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