Marc-Andre ter Stegen v Manuel Neuer: Who is the better goalkeeper?

European heavyweights Barcelona and Bayern Munich face off at the Estadio da Luz on Friday in the pick of the Champions League quarter-finals.

While plenty of focus will be on hotshot attackers Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski, it may well be at the other end of the field where the one-legged tie is decided.

German compatriots Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Manuel Neuer are two of the finest goalkeepers of their generation, playing a huge part in their clubs’ success on the field.

But there is a feeling Ter Stegen is not recognised as the star he is in his own country, which is largely down to the presence of Neuer – Germany’s long-standing number one.

And to further fan the flames, Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge last week claimed he is not yet at the same world-class level as Neuer, who is six years older.

Using Opta stats for the 2019-20 season, we compare the rival stoppers in a number of different departments to establish who is truly the better all-round keeper.

Champions League preparationspic.twitter.com/bcKM2LP9d1

— Marc ter Stegen (@mterstegen1) July 29, 2020

Games played (all club competitions)

Ter Stegen: 45
Neuer: 48

Total Passes

Ter Stegen: 1529
Neuer: 1784

Average number of passes per game

Ter Stegen: 33.98
Neuer: 37.17

Passing accuracy

Ter Stegen: 85.87
Neuer: 86.66

Shots faced

Ter Stegen: 461
Neuer: 422

Average number of shots faced per game

Ter Stegen: 10.24
Neuer: 8.79

Saves

Ter Stegen: 107
Neuer: 110

Goals conceded

Ter Stegen: 42
Neuer: 47

Bayern hero Manuel Neuer = ________ #UCL | @FCBayernEN | @Manuel_Neuer pic.twitter.com/Ie2yAXs7Wy

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 2, 2020

Expected goals conceded

Ter Stegen: 49.34
Neuer: 51.44

Expected goals on target conceded

Ter Stegen: 46.36
Neuer: 50.74

Average goals conceded inside the box

Ter Stegen: 36
Neuer: 41

Average goals conceded outside the box

Ter Stegen: 6
Neuer: 6

Save percentage

Ter Stegen: 71.62
Neuer: 69.48

Average number of goals conceded per game

Ter Stegen: 0.93
Neuer: 0.98

Clearances (including punches)

Ter Stegen: 32
Neuer: 22

Errors leading to goals

Ter Stegen: 3
Neuer: 2

Errors leading to shots (including goals)

Ter Stegen: 7
Neuer: 6