Canterbury's clash with western Sydney NRL rivals Parramatta is approaching now-or-never stakes with Des Hasler's Bulldogs quickly losing touch with the top eight.
Heading into Friday's crunch showdown with their traditional rivals, the Bulldogs must win six of their last nine games.
A loss to the eighth-placed Eels will see them drop to six points outside the top eight and leave them with a small mountain to climb to make the finals.
"We can't really afford to lose this game," hooker Michael Lichaa said.
"Hopefully we can turn up and get a good win. We haven't really talked about the top eight but it's in the back of everyone's minds."
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Hasler shored up his position by signing a two-year contract extension earlier this year but his personal security hasn't generated better results.
Many at Belmore are playing for their futures with Lichaa expected to join the Eels, who are desperate for a hooker.
The Bulldogs have traditionally set their expectations high and at the moment are well off meeting their goals of playing finals football, playmaker Moses Mbye admitted.
"Every year you see it, there's sides that make the back end and they finish quite strongly and it's what we're looking to do," Mbye said.
"We're looking to get a bit of momentum, put a few wins together."
