Jordan Pickford will become the 13th Everton player to oppose Italy in a major tournament when he takes his place between the sticks at Wembley on Sunday in the final of the European Championships.

The Italians have tended to have the upper hand over teams including Blues’ stars over the years, with just one defeat thus far for the Azzurri.

That came in the 2016 European Championships in France when a Republic of Ireland team featuring Seamus Coleman, James McCarthy and Aiden McGeady beat Italy 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Robbie Brady.

Earlier in that tournament, Everton’s Romelu Lukaku was unable to break through the famed Italian defence when his Belgium side suffered a 2-0 loss in the group stage.

Four years earlier, in Poland, Nikica Jelavic was part of a Croatia team that drew 1-1 with Italy and back in 2004 it was the same scoreline when a Sweden side including the Toffees midfielder Tobias Linderoth also shared the points in Portugal.

Incidentally, both Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci were in the Italy team that opposed Jelavic’s Croatia in 2012 and are both likely to play in Sunday’s final.

In Euro 96, Everton winger Andrei Kanchelskis was on familiar territory when Russia took on Italy at Anfield. Sadly, he couldn’t replicate his two-goal show of seven months earlier and Russia lost 2-1.

Everton players have met Italy in the World Cup three times – but have been edged out on each occasion.

Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka and Ross Barkley were part of an England team beaten 2-1 in Brazil in the first game of the tournament.

In 2006 in Germany, Tim Cahill and his Australian team-mates enthralled their nation by reaching the last 16 but they were narrowly beaten by Italy 1-0. Francesco Totti scored a 95th minute penalty to break the Socceroo hearts in Kaiserslautern.

The first Everton star to take on the might of the Italians was Kevin Sheedy during the 1990 World Cup.

Italy were, of course, on home soil and they won a tense quarter-final in Rome thanks to a goal from the tournament’s top scorer Toto Schillaci.

Only two Everton players have ever scored for England against Italy.

The first to do so was the legendary Tommy Lawton, who headed home a Stanley Matthews corner in Milan in 1939. The post-season friendly eventually ended 2-2.

We had to wait 73 years for the next one…and it came from an unlikely source. Phil Jagielka scored England’s equaliser in their 2-1 win against Italy in a friendly match in Switzerland.