You can bypass it with a series of comparative tests and then use other countries for setup, switching to "Allied" units in the purchase. Done this more than once...
Example: I wanted to make (in WWII) battle with Czechoslovakia vs. Germany. As default, Czechoslovakia started on the right side while I wanted it to be on left to reflect historical reality on that map so I set the battle up as France vs. Germany and then switched in purchase phase. Worked well except victory points which are belonging to the ersatz nation but as long as you know which are yours...
