UEFA Champions League 2018/19: Man Utd vs Barcelona First XIs, Stats Breakdown

Two of the most successful European sides are set to face off in the UCL QuarterFinals-Manchester United and Barcelona
Two of the most successful European sides are set to face off in the UCL QuarterFinals-Manchester United and Barcelona

Goalkeeper: David De Gea vs Marc Andre ter Stegen

David de Gea has been the mainstay of Manchester United and their talisman for a number of years. He won the Sir Matt Busby Award for Manchester United Player of the Year in 2017-18, making him the first player to win the award 4 times! He was also the recipient of the Premier League Golden Glove last season. DDG recently suffered a howler at the hands of Arsenal's Granit Xhaka when a dipping, curling shot evaded him into the net. But otherwise, Spain's No.1 has been in superb form for United, making an impressive 117 saves and keeping 10 clean sheets (EPL and UCL combined)

David de Gea-Manchester United's talisman
David de Gea-Manchester United's talisman

Marc Andre ter Stegen has established himself as a world-class goalkeeper in recent years and has even started to mount a serious challenge to Manuel Neuer as Germany's No.1. Barcelona has suffered from a shaky defence this season with Samuel Umtiti out injured for a lot of games, and it has been ter Stegen, or MATS as he is called, that has saved the day on more than one occasion.

Marc Andre ter Stegen-emerging as one of Europe's best goalkeepers
Marc Andre ter Stegen-emerging as one of Europe's best goalkeepers

Verdict: De Gea ranks above ter Stegen overall, with more saves, claims and punches, whereas MATS has a better clean sheet and goals conceded record. Ter Stegen is fantastic at reaction saves but struggles to dominate the box, especially during set pieces, a fact that can be leveraged by United in the quarter-final.

de Gea vs Ter Stegen
de Gea vs Ter Stegen

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