They’re the last line of defence. And their sides have conceded fewer goals than any of the others this season.
We crunch the Opta stats to compare the quality of the Hyundai A-League Grand Final goalkeepers – Sydney FC’s Danny Vukovic and Melbourne Victory’s Lawrence Thomas.
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CONSISTENCY
Both men have played 27 games this season; only Perth Glory’s Liam Reddy has played more often among the competition’s goalkeepers.
SAVES
Thomas has made 92 saves this season, the joint highest in the Hyundai A-League.
Central Coast custodian Paul Izzo also made 92 saves, but in six fewer games.
Vukovic has saved 73 shots at goal, placing him fifth on the overall 2016/17 list.
SAVE PERCENTAGE
Vukovic is out on his own here.
The Victory man has saved 86% of the shots that have come his way.
No other goalkeeper has achieved an 80% success rate this season.
Thomas has also been very good, saving three of every four shots to lie second on the percentage charts with 75%.
SAVES FROM DISTANCE
It’s even harder to beat “Vuka” from outside the box.
He’s saved 92% of efforts from beyond the penalty area.
Thomas has been secure too, keeping out 82% of the long-range strikes fired his way.
SHOTS FACED
Vukovic can thank his team-mates for limiting the chances to opposition players.
Sydney FC allowed just 239 shots at their goal this season, easily the fewest in the competition.
Victory were significantly more generous, allowing 392 shots at their goal.
Only Phoenix, Glory and the Mariners faced more shots than Victory.
SHOTS ON TARGET
Again, the Sky Blues were the best by some distance in this metric.
Opposition players managed just 87 shots on target all season.
No other team faced fewer than 115.
Thomas and Victory were on the receiving end of 126 on-target efforts.
And what about Bobo v Berisha? Check out their comparison stats here
