Croatian Fate
Completely out of the blue, the Hattrick Masters had to be redrawn due to the regrettable omission of several clubs the first time around. An embarrassing gaffe, but Grilled became the 73rd team out of the hat, and will now have a mouth-watering first round battle with Croatian Cup winners Zastava at home.
The checkered grey of Zastava beat four-time national champions Vanjito Headbangers 2-1 in the Cup final, though a brace by Zvonimir Benak, to claim their seat in the Masters. Quite a few stars from that game, like Swedish midfielders Anders Nissfeldt and Mats Paulsson, and Finnish international forward Urpo Piuhola, have moved on from Zastava; However, while ex-national goalie Ladislav Coric stands at the back, his side can never be underestimated.
Kek-Tjiang declared the players pleased with the new situation. "Before, the speculation weighed heavily on our minds. Now, we know who we're up against. It's a home match, so all the better. By all accounts we're pretty evenly matched. It'll be fantastic."
ChAmPzz, in a reversal of roles, now have a bye into the second round. Their previous opponents Ac Milan Cyprus have an easier proposition in Kyrgyzstan's ALA TOO, who are only in their fourth season.
Picks of the first round would include Portuguese juggernaut C.F."Os Belenenses" vs Swedish Cup victor Oriole United, the clash of the Hungarian and Dutch champions Fehervar FC and Milsbeek, and also El Torros Gigante, of Danish Cup fame against Belgian Cup holders Deuzeld Sport.
