Italy’s talismanic goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma ranks among the top three players in his position at UEFA Euro 2024 for expected goals saved, with two so far. Only his AC Milan teammate and French international Mike Maignon and Slovakia’s Martin Dubravka have registered more after the culmination of the group stages.
The Azzurri qualified for the round of 16 after coming second in Group B to Spain with four points in three games, and face Switzerland in the last-16 on Saturday. Donnarumma, who played every minute of the first round, is likely to keep his place in between the sticks for the knockout stages too.
As per Italian news media outlet, Il Corriere dello Sport, the Milan shot-stopper avoided 2.03 expected goals in the first three games of the European championship. That’s only behind his club-mate and France’s custodian Maignon, who ranks higher with 2.26. Slovakia’s Dubravka leads with 3.15 expected goals stopped. To put things into context, Donnarumma has faced 15 shots so far at the Euros, saving 12 and conceding three.
Italy face Switzerland in another potentially tough clash
Italy have an incredible record against Switzerland, losing only seven times in 60 clashes throughout their history. However, their more recent encounters have been really close. In fact, five of their last six clashes have ended in a stalemate. The only occasion during this run wherein the fixture produced a winner, was in Euro 2020, when the Azzurri beat La Nati 3-0 in the group stages.
Also Read: Euro 2024 Knockout Rounds: Who’s through to the last 16, and who are the favorites?