SERBIA & MONTENEGRO

PASUKAN bekas negara Yugoslavia ini dianggap melakukan kejutan apabila tersenarai ke pusingan akhir Piala Dunia walaupun berada dalam satu kumpulan dengan Sepanyol, Belgium dan Bosnia-Herzegovina pada pusingan kelayakan.
Yugoslavia-Montenegro layak selepas menjuarai kumpulan 7.
Layak ke Piala Dunia kali terakhir pada 1998 dan berjaya tersenarai sebagai 16 pasukan terbaik sebelum tewas kepada Belanda 2-1.
Antara pemain yang menonjol termasuk Mateza Kezman dan Nemanja Vidic.

Jurulatih: Ilija Petkovic
Beliau merombak pasukan selepas mengambil alih jawatan jurulatih pada Julai 2003.
Sebagai pemain, beliau memegang 43 cap dan menjaringkan enam gol untuk pasukan kebangsaan antara 1968 dan 1974.
Kerjaya bola sepaknya sebagai pemain banyak dihabiskan bersama kelab OFK Beograd Belgrade dengan bermain sebanyak 500 perlawanan dalam tempoh 15 tahun.

Bintang utama: Nemanja Vidic
Kunci utama pasukan Yugoslavia-Montenegro yang bermain di posisi pertahanan.
Pemain kelab Spartak Moscow ini mempunyai kelebihan merebut bola di udara dan mempunyai jangkaan bola yang cantik.

Skuad: 1. Dragoslav Jevric; 12. Oliver Kovacevic; 23. Vladimir Stojkovic; 3. Ivica Dragutinovic; 5. Nemanja Vidic; 6. Goran Gavrancic; 13. Dusan Basta; 14. Nenad Djordjevic; 15. Milan Dudic; 16. Dusan Petkovic; 20. Mladen Krstajic; 2. Ivan Ergic; 4. Igor Duljaj; 7. Ognjen Koroman; 10. Dejan Stankovic; 11. Predrag Djordjevic; 17. Albert Nadj; 18. Zvonimir Vukic; 22. Sasa Ilic; 8. Mateja Kezman; 9. Savo Milosevic; 19. Nikola Zigic; 21. Danijel Ljuboja

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SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO
Honours:
- World Cup appearances: 7 (1930, 1950, 1958, 1962, 1974, 1990, 1998)
- World Cup best: Semi-finals (1930)
FIFA world ranking: 46
Odds: 66/1

Coach: Ilija Petkovic
A popular figure after reviving the teams fortunes after taking over in July 2003, Petkovic has enjoyed a successful career that has taken in stints in Switzerland, Greece, China and Japan.
As a player he won 43 caps and scored six goals for the national team between 1968 and 1974. Spent the bulk of playing career at OFK Beograd Belgrade, for whom he played more than 500 matches in over 15 years.

Key player: Nemanja Vidic
A key figure in Serbia's tough nut defence, few people were surprised when Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson swooped for Vidic during the January transfer window. A centre-half in the classic mould - physically imposing, good in the air and excellent anticipation.

Squad:
Goalkeepers: Dragoslav Jevric (Ankaraspor/TUR), Oliver Kovacevic (Zeleznik), Vladimir Stojkovic (Nantes/FRA)
Defenders: Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United/ENG), Mladen Krstajic (Schalke 04/GER), Goran Gavrancic (Dinamo Kiev/UKR), Milan Dudic (Red Star Belgrade), Ivica Dragutinovic (Sevilla/ESP), Dusan Basta (Red Star Belgrade), Nenad Djordjevic (Partizan Belgrade)
Midfielders: Igor Duljaj (Shakhtar Donetsk/UKR), Albert Nadj (Partizan Belgrade), Ivan Ergic (FC Basel/SUI), Dejan Stankovic (Inter Milan/ITA), Predrag Djordjevic (Olympiakos/GRE), Zvonimir Vukic (Partizan Belgrade), Ognjen Koroman (Portsmouth/ENG), Danijel Ljuboja (VfB Stuttgart/GER), Sasa Ilic (Galatasaray/TUR)
Forwards: Savo Milosevic (Osasuna/ESP), Mateja Kezman (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Nikola Zigic (Red Star Belgrade), Dusan Petkovic (OFK Belgrade/SCG)

- AFP