Team Sweden heads to Zelenograd, Russia Saturday, October 5 to face the Russian national team in a 2020 IFAF European Championship qualification round matchup.
Sweden, Europe #5, and Russia. Europe #15, play in Group A, Division D along with Great Britain.
The Russians played two games in 2018, losing to Spain in an international exhibition game 27-0 and then tying Turkey 13-13. In October 2017, Team Russia defeated Belgium 7-2. The last time Russia played in an IFAF European Championship qualification round, they defeated Norway 20-0 in a lead up to the qualification tournament and then lost to both Great Britain and the Netherlands.
Team Russia, under Ruslan Kurbanov, held two training camps in Zelenograd, September 13-15 and September 27-29, and will have a 45 man roster for this game.
Sweden’s head coach Billy BD Kennedy, is no stranger to international play. He was Sweden’s offensive coordinator in 2005 when Sweden won the European title and then served as head coach in 2007. The Swedish roster is fairly short for this game with a total of 31 players making the trip.
Although Sweden is the favorite in this game, Russia can surprise. They are playing at home and have a much larger roster. It is expected that Kurbanov will start veteran Igor Chernolutsky at quarterback while Kennedy will look to Phil Juhlin who made is debut on the national team at the 2014 European Championships.
Watch the game live here. Team Sweden @Team Russia, Sat. Oct. 5, 6p (5p CEDT, 11a EDT)
