Hungary: Capital City Derby Tops This Weekend’s Schedule

Every round of the Hungarian Football League has something special to offer. This time the focus will be on Budapest, Hungary and the battle between the Cowbells and the Wolves on Sunday. In addition, DAK Acél Dunaújváros Gorillaz will have an exciting game against the Heroes in Eger, and Győr Sharks will have to travel a lot to face the reigning champion Miskolc Steelers in Felsőzsolca.

Budapest Cowbells (1-2) – Budapest Wolves (1-2) (in ELMŰ Stadium)

The greatest focus will be on this game since these teams desperately need a win to take another step towards the playoffs. The Cowbells’ coaching staff must have done a lot of work in the past few weeks after blowing away a 20-3 lead against the Heroes and losing 25-20. The most important is discipline. This will be a crucial factor against the 6 time champion. In addition, the Cowbells are also well-known for making good plays under pressure. After a bad season start this is one of these moments.

The Wolves seemed to be back on track after the big win at Eger. Then the Steelers could beat the Wolves in Budapest. They are in need of a win because the players do not want to relive the last season when the squad could not make the playoffs. Nevertheless,  the Wolves’ greatest weapon could be the Márk Bencsics (QB)-Ádám Elek (WR) duo. Both of them are in a great form and this could be the key to the second win of the season, and thus, taking a step towards the playoffs.

Eger Heroes (2-1) – DAK Acél Dunaújváros Gorillaz (1-2) (in Eger)

The Heroes had a good confidence booster game against the Cowbells two weeks ago and as head coach László Szeredi said: “This could be a turning point for the squad.” Last season the Heroes beat Karim Trabelsi’s team and then got two more wins which settled a playoff spot for them. Kali Rashaad’s debut worked out just fine last time. He made crucial plays in the offense, and had very good moments in the defense. The secondary seems to be in a better shape. However, it will be challenged by the Gorillaz’s physical receivers.

Head coach Vilmos Grátz got his work cut out for. Dunaújváros’ offense performed poorly in the last 2 games scoring only 1 touchdown. It is still a mystery why cannot the offense execute the plays properly. One reason might be that the Gorillaz have many players from other teams and they are not able to train together with the basic squad. Nevertheless, Dunaújváros is still in need of a win to remain in the race for the playoffs.

Miskolc Steelers (3-0) – Győr Sharks (1-2) (in Felsőzsolca)

Stability. This is the most important trait of the Steelers this season. Miskolc is really playing like a reigning champion. Its defense and offense is number one in the HFL and has two very productive receivers, Troy Rice (4 TDs) and A.J. Benson (5 TDs). The defense suffered only 51 points. However, last year the Sharks almost got away with a win from Felsőzsolca. Head coach Eaton Demetrius Lamar reminded the players because of that game and emphasized not to take it easy, even if they already clinched a playoff spot.

And he is right because the Győr Sharks got their first win against the Gorillaz two weeks ago. The offense still needs some work. However, the defense seems to be in a good shape. The Sharks got 4 interceptions against the Gorillaz and did not suffer a single touchdown. Andres Fernandez still seems to be the most productive player of Győr with five touchdowns so far. His mobility, speed and aerial abilities could pose a great threat to the Steelers’s secondary.