Unai Simon kept five clean in six games for Spain during the World Cup qualifiers, and he has established himself as the clear number one under Luis De La Fuente.

Spain are excellent when it comes to dominating possession, and they allow their opponents very few chances to even get into the attacking third. La Roja underperformed at the 2022 World Cup, and they will be desperate to make it far this time around, especially considering that they are the current European champions. 

Simon kept two clean sheets in six appearances at Euro 2024, but Group H is a much more favourable draw with Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde. Expecting Spain to make it far in the competition, it’s understandable why Simon is one of the favourites in this market. 

Simon had an underwhelming campaign for Athletic Club, as they finished 12th in the Spanish top flight. However, last season, Los Leones managed the best defensive record of any side in the division, with just 29 goals conceded from 38 league games - Simon was integral to that record.

Portugal are another side who are excellent at dominating possession and suffocating their opponents, which makes Diogo Costa a player to target. The 26-year-old helped Porto secure the Primeira Liga title this season, and in imperious fashion - they only conceded 18 goals in 34 matches. Diogo Costa kept 19 clean sheets, which was a new record in the division. 

For his national side, Costa kept three clean sheets in five matches at Euro 2024, one less than Mike Maignan. He will hope to secure the award this season, especially as Portugal have been drawn against Colombia, Uzbekistan and DR Congo in Group K - it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if Portugal keep three clean sheets in those fixtures. 

At Euro 2024, Costa saved three consecutive penalties in the shootout against Slovenia - he usually turns up on the big stage for Portugal, and he is perfectly suited for this possession-based style. Costa might not have too much work to do, but he has proven that he is able to stay concentrated, and that could make all the difference in this market.

Hernan Galindez is the goalkeeper for Ecuador, the captain for Argentina Liga Profesional side Huracan, and he looks like one of the best value sections to pick up the Golden Glove this summer.

Ecuador stole the headlines from the CONMEBOL qualifiers, as they massively overperformed and finished second behind Argentina in the standings. They lost two of their 18 matches, with only five goals conceded in that time. Ecuador managed to shut out Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay, which shows just how resolute their defensive system is. 

With a centre-back pairing of William Pacho and Piero Hincapie - two players who started in the Champions League final - and Moises Caicedo in front of them, it’s obvious why Ecuador are so good defensively. They have been drawn against Germany, Curacao, and Ivory Coast in Group E. On the surface, it looks like a tough group, but Germany have failed to make it out of the group stages in their last two attempts, and Ivory Coast look weaker than Ecuador on paper. 

The South American side have proven how effective they can be even against elite sides, and they should stick with those pragmatic tactics which brought them so much success in the World Cup qualifiers.