How Nottingham Forest and Leeds United goalkeepers compare.
Two of the most highly rated goalkeepers go head to head this weekend as in form Nottingham Forest visit a similarly resurgent Leeds United.
When the two sides met in December at the City Ground in a 1-1 draw, both teams were amid a woeful run of form.
Now the teams have between them won a combined 13 out of their last 20 games, with Leeds victorious in seven of 10, and Forest six.
Goalkeepers Karl Darlow and Marco Silvestri are among the most highly regarded players on either side, both starring this season. Darlow signed to Newcastle last summer, being loaned back, while Silvestri was an addition from Chievo and is a former Italian under-21 international.
The performances of the pair are difficult to split. Analysing the statistics of their games this season, neither can claim to be clearly superior.
Individual traits
While both goalkeepers have kept two clean sheets, that’s where the similarities end. Silvestri makes more saves per game (3.47 to 2.97), and concedes fewer goals (1.29 to 1.38).
There are areas however where it is Darlow who holds the advantage. Silvestri is more error prone, making four mistakes directly leading to goals this season, with the Nottingham Forest stopper making only one. Darlow is also more comfortable claiming crosses, recording figures on 1.94 per game as opposed to Silvestri’s 0.94.
Silvestri’s tendency to throw in the odd error is also offset by his propensity to pull off incredulous saves, and proved a match winner with a penalty save from Ipswich Town’s Daryl Murphy earlier this month.
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