The Budapest Wolves will host the Zagreb Thunder on Saturday, preparing, for them, in an unusual fashion. A playoff team for the last two years, they’re preparing for the game knowing they’re all but theoretically out for this season.

Losing twice to the main competitor will do that to a team — the Wolves lost both games to the Vukovi, and once they lost for the second time, it became clear they’ll probably have to plan for next year. Although this is something they’re facing for the first time, it’s also now a trend that started last year. After starting out strong in the league in 2007, reaching the final, they were eliminated in the semis last year, and our now almost out.

Whether they’re going downhill, or are just staying the same with everyone else improving, doesn’t really matter, though it looks like the latter might be the problem. The schedule and the groups weren’t in their favor, with the Blue Devils, and in the last three years always improving Vukovi. The Wolves on the other hand, have been getting a solid new player from their juniors program in the last two years, this year a promising receiver and kick returner, Ákos Újfalusi, but just as many as they get, they also lose, staying about the same as they were.

The Vukovi did them a favor beating the Blue Devils, but the Austrian team would need to lose twice more. In reality, the Wolves lost to that team 7-39 in Budapest, making it difficult to imagine they would be able to pull it off. Still, a chance exists, albeit a slim one — the Ljubljana Silverhawks proved it by beating the Cowboys last week in Budapest, despite getting killed in Ljubljana in the first game.

A team they didn’t lose by over 30 points is the team they’ll play this week. The only remaining winless team in the league lost to the Wolves 0-42 at home in their first game, confirming what everyone suspected — that they’d be playing for a win, or two this year. After a loss in Ljubljana, their game against Budapest will be their Bowl for this year. But not against the Wolves — they play the 1-4 Cowboys in three weeks time.

The game in Budapest, this Saturday, starts 4PM at Láng Vasas Sport Center.