Outright Odds: 100/1
Group C Winners: 9/1

Serbia & Montenegro will start in Germany as undefeated in qualifying with one of the meanest defences in international football. They topped their qualifying group ahead of Spain, Belgium and Bosnia-Herzegovina and conceded just one goal in 10 matches – away at Spain in a 1-1 draw.

The draw in Spain saw their defence breaches for the first time in eight matches, with the preceding seven successive clean sheets setting a new world record.

An nearly watertight defence is the key to Serbia & Montenegro’s success, with the backline superbly marshalled by Mladen Krstajic, who plays in Germany for Schalke 04. Such organisation and the ability to “snuff out” any opposing attacks prompted Manchester United to shell out 7 million on defensive partner Nemanja Vidic who was at Spartak Moscow.

Neither player was a household name and neither were Dynamo Kiev’s Goran Gavrancic or Ivica Dragutinovic of Sevilla who made up the back four, or goalkeeper Dragoslav Jevric, currently at Turkish outfit Ankaraspor, but they will be in the minds of their Group C opposition managers.

But, Serbia & Montenegro may be the side that causes a spanner in the works for the more fancies teams in the group, rather than one which enjoys success themselves. While they are resolute at the back, they suffer from a lack of creativity and do not score many goals.

They scored 16 goals in qualifying, although half of them came against San Marino across two matches. Goalless draws at home to Belgium, Spain and Bosnia-Herzegovina suggest they won’t be threatening much in Germany. Former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman, with five goals in qualifying, is their most obvious threat.

But, Nikola Zigic, at 6 foot 7 inches also poses a towering presence and can cause problems in the opposition’s box. He also possesses fantastic awareness and made Kezman’s winning goal in the final qualifier against Bosnia-Herzegovina which clinched their place in the finals.

Inter Milan midfielder Dejan Stankovic is one of the few recognisable faces in the Serbia & Montenegro side and at 27, is one of the oldest, as manager Ilija Petkovic has successfully place his faith in young talent to replaces the retired likes of legend Predrag Mijatovic. Petkovic is himself a former international who coached the ancient Yugoslavia for two months in 2001.

Recommended Bet:

Serbia & Montenegro have based their recent, undefeated success on being solid at the back and a hard team to break down. This may see them claim a few “shock” draws but a lack of goals could see them miss out on a place in the second round. Back them to claim a draw against Argentina in their second match.

Argentina vs Serbia & Montenegro draw @ 5/2

Called the Adriatic pearl, Dubrovnik is the majestic and one of the most refined Croatia cities. Along with Venice and Amsterdam, it is included in the list of three most gorgeous UNESCO cities and the European Renaissance monuments. Dubrovnik is the real miracle made by peoples hands, the city that is worth admiration, and you cannot negate Bernard Shaws words that Those who seek paradise on Earth should come to Dubrovnik and see Dubrovnik. In the seventh century, citizens of the Epidavros founded a city on the small rocky Laus island and called it Ragusium. The name Dubrovnik appeared in the 8th century, when the place was occupied by the Slavic tribes, and comes from the word dub which means the oak tree as lots of such trees were growing here. The city had been developing for several centuries and thanks to its highly developed merchant navy already by the middle of the V century it became an independent republic. XV-XVII centuries were the golden time for Dubrovnik as during this time it got its modern look that is still observed by the tourists. The fortress walls (2 km long, up to 6 meters wide and up to 20 meters high) were being built for nearly six centuries and have always been a firm protection against the enemies. Even now, they still boast their brilliant condition and are open to the public and those who venture to climb the walls will be able to delight in astonishing views over the city and the islands.

The ancient city is included in the UNESCO list of world depositories as it keeps lots of cultural and architectural masterpieces, such as St. Blaise Church, Rector’s Palace, Dominican and Franciscan Monasteries, Onofrio’s Fountains, the Europes oldest synagogue, Aquarium and Maritime Museum and the arts museum.

Dubrovnik and Zavtat swimming places are really various: small pebble, concrete platforms with stairs to descend to the sea as well as rocky coastline and sand can be found here. Sandy beaches are located on Lopud and Kolocep islands while pebble beaches with sandy entrances are found in the Lapad bay and Zavtat, opposite the Albatros Hotel. Some of the local citizens bathe right next to the rocks under the city walls, but most people prefer an equipped beach close to the ancient city where a special water-hill for children can be found. In addition to fantastic choice of swimming opportunities, the place boasts its rare sea beauty which, according to Jak Iv Kusto, is the cleanest sea all around the Adriatic.

The region is also well-known for its fresh seafood and meat fares prepared of mutton and lamb, while the real local delicacies are oysters and mussels delivered from the bay not far from Ston. The Southern Dalmatia is also well loved for its wines, especially the Dingac, “Postup” and Posip brands.

There is also a fantastic amount of bars and several discos in Dubrovnik. Those who to entertain themselves have a fantastic amount of places to chose from: Burbon street with its numerous bars, Hamingway cocktail-bar in Cuban style; Otok; Jazz bar; Irish pub and Gradska kavana for those who prefer cool atmosphere; discos, including the Italian Divinae Follie and many more. But mind that such places close early in the evening during the season when there are not so many tourists here.

Montenegro is one of the most overlooked property goldmines in Europe. With absolutely gorgeous terrain and rock bottom house prices, it is hard to see why more people have not flocked to buy the latest developments.

One thing to remember is that Montenegro is, in fact, a very small country, approximately the size of Northern Ireland. Therefore, there are really relatively few properties available for sale.

Previously, Montenegro was linked with Serbia which was a larger and generally fiercer candidate both economically and politically. Montenegro now wants to go it alone and so far it is looking excellent for this tiny small gem of a country.

Already, Montenegro is starting to gain considerable tourist interest and is now beginning to feature regularly in tour operators’ brochures. This is of extreme importance to the general economic wellbeing of the country and, of course, is fundamental to the growth of the property market.

Montenegro boasts numerous geological attractions that have, until recently, been hidden away from the rest of the world. Amongst these are Europe’s largest canyon and Europe’s most southern fjord. It also has two UNESCO listed heritage towns, namely Kotor and Perast.

The property market in Montenegro is still very much in its infancy and offers a lot of future scope. As previously mentioned, this is also substantially linked to the burgeoning tourist market which has yet to reach its full potential.

Developments are few and far between in Montenegro. Currently there are fewer than ten new build developments across the gorgeous coastline.

This is not to say that there are not enough properties available to buy. On the contrary, there is a excellent supply of older properties that are ready for renovation and are a lot cheaper to buy.

A renovation project can be bought for as small as