Before the Wild Boars – Gladiators game was postponed for October, the two games that will be played on Saturday would’ve finished out the season and completed the playoff picture. Still, though one is irrelevant when it comes to the standings, the other will likely decide the fourth and final playoff participant.
That of course is the Gladiators – Silverhawks matchup in Austria, with the teams going in it tied with one win. The final game of the season for the Slovenian Silverhawks is also their last chance to get a second win and, temporarily at least, jump over the Gladiators in the standings.
Whether they’ll be able to do that is another matter, though maybe not as inconceivable as it may seem when looking at their first game this season. Back in April, the Gladiators trumped the Silverhawks in Ljubljana 38-6, but have since went 0-4 looking less convincing each time. Ljubljana on their part also hasn’t impressed lately, losing by 50 in Budapest.
Based on their previous game, the Gladiators remain a heavy favorite, and even if they lose, they still have one more game in Kragujevac the week after, so the final score Saturday and the total point differential between the two teams can prove to be crucial. The game starts at 3PM in Rudersdorf.
The game in Kragujevac starts two hours sooner at FK Sušice stadium. The reigning champs, for the next month or so, host the Budapest Wolves in their first inter-conference home game. Their first of the kind was unsuccessful, like all of their season, when they lost in Ljubljana.
The whole 2007 was one they will want to forget. While Belgrade and Novi Sad made a step forward, the Wild Boars weren’t even on the level they were on last year when they won the title. With a record of 0-5, a win against a top two team this season seems unlikely.
Budapest on the other hand comes to Serbia again without many reasons to play, considering they clinched the conference in June and that unlike their game against the Vukovi, this one is hardly a high profile one. They made a statement in beating Ljubljana two weeks ago, after losing in Belgrade, but like there they may have an incomplete team.