UEFA has has released the schedule for the Champion’s League 3rd qualifying round games as well as the Uefa Cup 2nd qualifying round matches. Hajduk Split has been paired up with Deportivo, who last year finished 9th in the Spanish La Liga. Slaven Belupo will match wits with Aris Thessaloniki of the Greek Super League. Aris finished 4th last year in their respected league. Both of these UEFA Cup encounters start on the road for the Croatian clubs on August 14th before returning home for the second leg a fortnight later (2 weeks later or 14 days for those of you who are unfamiliar with the lingo) on August 28th. Hajduk and Slaven aren’t expected to do much against these proven teams but it’s always nice to see what they’re made of and what kind of trouble Torcida can get into next.
On the other side of the spectrum, should Dinamo Zagreb move onto the next and final Champion’s League qualifying round (and we all expect they should with an away 3-0 win), they would face off against Darijo Srna’s club team, Shakhtar Donetsk, of the Ukranian Premier League which would be a fantastic test for the team from Zagreb.
More news is on the way as pre-season tournaments are on the brink and the major European leagues are almost ready to kick off the new season.
Stay tuned guys!