Today is the big day when Rhein Fire will face the Vienna Vikings in the 2024 Championship Game at the VELTINS-Arena. Although Rhein Fire’s players are used to playing in front of big crowds thanks to their strong fanbase, this will be a very special game for them. "It's gonna be awesome. For us, it’s so special. It’s like a home game for us since Rhein Fire has played in the VELTINS-Arena before. It’s going to be loud, it’s going to be special. Hopefully, all our fans will be there and make some noise. I think it's an advantage for us because Vienna isn’t used to such a big crowd. Hopefully, it will be a great game for the fans, and we’ll have fun," said Sven Breidenbach, Offensive Tackle of Rhein Fire. 

Over 38,000 fans are expected to attend the Championship Game. The majority could be on the Rhein Fire side. Firstly, Fire are playing as a German team in a German stadium. Secondly, the stadium is just 25 kilometers away from the Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena, the team's home ground. By comparison, it is over 765 kilometers to Vienna.

Vikings coach takes leaders in responsibility

Vikings quarterback Ben Holmes is however looking forward to the game and some "Vikings style football". In his first year with the team, he is in the Championship Game. "That means everything to me. My football journey has had some ups and downs, so for me personally, it feels awesome.”

He has already come up with a strategy for the opposing fans: "I think when you are out there for warmups, you can take a look around and kind of embrace the moment, or not. But once you're out there, you just kinda go with the moment and the game and trying to make the fans a little bit background noise, so hopefully it won't affect us too much."

For Vikings head coach Chris Calaycay, his leaders are particularly important in terms of the atmosphere: "We have to understand our leaders, that have been in big games before. They have to lead the experience that we have as a unit. The coaches have to make sure we are prepared for the situation and that we done everything we can, and we will see how all works out."

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