Week 4 PWM: Battle of Britain

WORLD LEAGUE – The Premier World Match, the showcased match of the week, in the World League, is set to shape the standings of the Eastern Conference.  In an annual match-up that’s come to be refered to as the Battle of Britain, London Falling (2-1-0) will take on the Old England Patriots (2-1-0) to shuffle the standings tie for second place in the Conference and could have implications for first place as well.  Both teams are just a game back from first place, and with a slip up from the undefeated Scandinavian Stars, who plays Dublin this week, the winner of this match could slide into the lead.

Perhaps the biggest rivals in the World League, this pair has faced each other a total of 6 times in league history and are split down the middle with 3 wins apiece.  London has a win in the teams’ only playoff meeting, all the way back in 2012, the year London went on to win World Bowl 1, but the Patriots have had the edge in more recent contests, besting London in their last 2 games.  England stands at 44 all-time league wins going into this game, and each win gets them closer to the benchmark of 50, so the stakes are high for these rivals.  The two are pretty evenly matched this time around; besides their identical records, the pair are only separated by about 13 points in total scoring so far this season. The latest line on the game from the betting centers has England listed as a 9 point underdog, but those odds haven’t been updated since their kicker was placed on IR and could change once the Patriot organization signs a new dead-leg.  Each team has a top notch defense, currently 2nd and 3rd in the league, so this one could be a long, close slugfest.