Vikings balancing between clear goal and possible rotation
Florian Puth
© Hannes JirgalAfter Stuttgart Surge's close defeat in week 12 against the Raiders Tirol, there is only one unbeaten team left in the ELF: the Vienna Vikings. The Austrians want to make sure it stays that way and are pushing for a win against the Fehervar Enthroners as usual.
A win would give them the perfect season and the #1 seed for the playoffs ahead of the final bye-week in week 14. This would also secure the Vikings the right to play at home in the semi-finals.
For Head Coach Chris Calaycay, the same motto applies as in all the previous game weeks: “Nothing has changed in our approach. We will prepare ourselves optimally for the opponent and want to go 1-0 this week as well. The number one seed is what we want to fix.”
Vikings-Coach Chris Calaycay (middle) has a clear goal. ©Hannes Jirgal
Ahead of the clash with the Enthroners, the Vienna team's personnel situation comes to the foreground. With a view to the upcoming playoffs, one or two key players could be rested. “We will make smart decisions on exactly which recovered players will be involved in the game again, when and with what intensity. With some players, such as Balogh, Edwards or Laalo, we're looking at day-to-day. We have to plan ahead and factor in eventualities for the post-season,” says Calaycay.
While linebacker Leon Balogh and defensive back Elmeri Laalo are on the 53-man roster for the game, cornerback Exavier Edwards is not listed.
Back to back perfect regular seasons?
The Vikings are coming off a bye-week that was good after eleven weeks of hard work, the coach revealed in a media roundtable. Against the Enthroners, the team will look to cap off a perfect regular season that got off to a promising start with a 43-18 win over the Hungarians in week one. Back to back! The team already survived last season without a defeat.
The match will take place on Saturday, August 17th at 6 pm CET in the ERGO Arena Wiener Neustadt. The Vikings want to take an important last step towards an ideal starting position for the playoffs.