Features
JUE 19.03.2015
Matchday 28 of the Liga BBVA is approaching, and with it Spanish football's El Clásico. Real Madrid travel to Catalonia to take on the league leaders: FC Barcelona. It's a crunch date circled in red on all of the players' calendars. Each must be focused and give everything for their team in this clash, and two men who will have to be especially on their mettle are the goalkeepers, who will play a crucial role in the encounter.
The 27 league fixtures played so far in the 2014-15 season have seen both clubs enjoy 21 victories and earn a win percentage of 77.8%. An extremely evenly-matched affair is in prospect, and a save or a goalkeeping error could prove decisive in its outcome.
Average goals conceded:
Barcelona, who have 16 goals in the 'against' column this campaign, concede on average 0.6 per game. Meanwhile, Madrid have let in an average of 0.9 goals per match this term, conceding 24 in total.
Goalkeepers' saves:
The Catalan side's keeper, Claudio Bravo, is currently the custodian who concedes the fewest goals in the Liga BBVA. Bravo has kept 15 clean sheets and has saved 52 of the 68 shots he has faced, meaning that he has kept out 76.5% of the efforts that he has been on the end of.
Iker Casillas is in fifth place in the ranking of the meanest goalkeepers. However, it should be added that the Real Madrid captain has played 24 games in the Liga BBVA this season, while Bravo has appeared on all 27 matchdays in the top flight. Casillas has registered 11 matches without conceding and has stopped 58 of 80 shots, leaving the Spain international with a 72.5% save percentage.
Substitute keepers:
Should either goalkeeper suffer an injury or be sent off, there will be two supporting actors ready for action. Keylor Navas, the capital outfit’s reserve keeper, has played three Liga BBVA games this season, conceding two goals and saving seven out of nine shots. The los blancos man has therefore kept out 77.8% of the attempts he has faced. Los azulgranas' Marc-André ter Stegen is yet to appear in a league game, although he has played in the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League.
© LALIGA - 2015