Just as some teams will face-off in fewer games because of the realignment, the Silverhawks and the Cowboys will on Saturday meet for the first of their two matchups this season. The Cowboys will come to Ljubljana to play the Slovenian team for only the second time — their first game didn’t go that great, as they lost 29-0 last September.

The Silverhawks go into the game with bad memories of their own, far more recent than the Cowboys. They missed a great opportunity to start the season with a bang, losing in Novi Sad after holding a 3-point lead for almost the entire game. Fueled by the defense’s record setting eight turnovers, the Silverhawks were able to hold the lead until the last five minutes, but in the end it wasn’t enough.

“We are undefeated in Jezero Field and last season game against the Cowboys was [a] really strong [performance], so we have to expect to win. It is a must win game for us. We also put a great performance in Novi Sad, especially on defense. I know that Cowboys will come stronger than last year, but also our team is playing at home and should be well rested”, says one of the Hawks’ defensive veterans David Turšič.

The Cowboys will come with a different team, maybe not completely, but different in important positions. They invested much into this season, hiring an American coach Wally English, and joining some of the elite teams in the league by signing an import, John Thorburn Lydic, to play quarterback.

The importance of the position should be well known to the Silverhawks, as it has always been a weak spot on their team. This year, in Novi Sad, most of the playing time went to Miloš Vrhovec, who fell well short of reaching triple digits in passing yards, also recording two interceptions, as the Silverhawks offense was basically shutout.

“We have to be”, Turšič says if the team is over the tough loss in Novi Sad. “This game now is really important for the team.”

Though the season only just started, the outcome as always could show plenty — in this case, which of these teams is closer to catching the Dukes and the Gladiators as the top teams in the group. If they have any intentions of playing in October, the Silverhawks can’t afford to go 0-2 in the first two weeks of the season, and against the main competition, making the game on NK Jezero, Saturday from 3PM, one of huge importance.