Alexander Nübel vs. Kevin Trapp: game-changing goalkeepers as VfB Stuttgart host Eintracht Frankfurt
All eyes will turn to the MHPArena on Sunday for a showdown that pits hosts VfB Stuttgart against Eintracht Frankfurt, and leading the case for either teams' defence in Baden-Württemberg will be a couple of custodians who command immense respect: Alexander Nübel and Kevin Trapp.
Between them, the goalkeepers boast a combined 391 Bundesliga appearances, with the more experienced Trapp (34) easily leading the way on that front against the 28-year-old Bayern Munich loanee, who is currently in his second season with Stuttgart. Despite the disparity in German top-flight experience (Nübel has played 86 times to Trapp's 305 games in the Bundesliga) both are so good that Sunday's fixture could easily hinge on one of them.
Eintracht's man between the sticks now wears the captain's armband following the retirement of club favourite Sebastian Rode and, despite missing three top-tier games with a hamstring injury this season, has still managed to play an integral role in helping Frankfurt challenge among the top three spots in the Bundesliga this term.
For example, the former Kaiserslautern and Paris Saint-Germain No.1 has saved 74 percent of the shots on his goal this season, already an eight percent improvement on his average last term. Trapp trumps Nübel (64 percent save rate) in this aspect, yet the latter has proved a game-changer many times during his Stuttgart stay, not least in the most recent 0-0 draw against defending champions Bayer Leverkusen.
On that occasion, the 6'4" keeper kept out five Bayer 04 shots to earn a clean sheet - a first of the season - and his team a well-earned point at the BayArena, while his keeper efficiency of +1.9 (i.e. he saved 1.9 shots more than statistically expected) was the highest of all goalkeepers on Matchday 9.
When Nübel is on form, he can be unbeatable, and his heroics during Stuttgart's 2023/24 campaign - when the Swabians defied most of the pre-season predictions to finish second - were noted far and wide. Indeed, his 11 Bundesliga clean sheets were only bettered by Leverkusen title-winner Lukáš Hrádecký, who managed 15.
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Although his team didn't fare quite so well in their own game against Leverkusen (Eintracht lost 2-1), Trapp saved a penalty from Victor Boniface on his comeback from injury in the encounter. That was the Frankfurt custodian's ninth penalty save in the Bundesliga, taking him into star-worthy company.
Manuel Neuer, Sepp Maier, Uli Stein and Hans-Jörg Butt have all saved nine Bundesliga penalties, while only Hoffenheim's Oliver Baumann has managed the feat more times (15). For his part, Nübel has stopped just one of the 12 spot-kicks he has faced in Germany's top division.
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Like Trapp, former Schalke goalkeeper Nübel also has experience of playing in France with Monaco, yet unlike the Frankfurt keeper, Stuttgart's No. 33 has provided an assist this season. That achievement was a first for Nübel in the Bundesliga and it came on Matchday 2 in VfB's fascinating 3-3 draw against Mainz, with Jamie Leweling taking advantage of the pass to put Sebastian Hoeneß's side 2-0 ahead in the game.
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Both goalkeepers could well be called upon to pull off the obligatory flying save from a shot from distance on Sunday. And should that come to pass, Eintracht's highest-ever appearance holder for a goalkeeper could outshine his opponent at the opposite end of the pitch.
Trapp has not been beaten from range this season and has only conceded three such goals since the summer of 2023. By contrast, Nübel has conceded twice from distance in 2024/25, so may be the more wary of the two, especially when facing down any possible pile-drivers from Hugo Larsson or Mahmoud Dahoud, or even an Omar Marmoush free-kick.
Whatever the outcome at the MHPArena, Trapp and Nübel are likely to be centre of attention when the scramble for post-match interviews begins after what promises to be an unmissable encounter.
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