Thibaut Courtois vs. David De Gea: Looking at the Stamford Bridge Keeper Battle

Chelsea and Manchester United will come to blows at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

A win for Jose Mourinho's side will take them one step closer to lifting the Premier League trophy, but a resurgent United will be confident of causing an upset in west London.

Louis van Gaal's side are on an impressive winning streak, coming out on top in their last six Premier League matches.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are undefeated in the league since New Year's Day.

At the heart of each side's good form this season has been their goalkeepers.

Only last weekend, Thibaut Courtois pulled off a string of vital saves to deny Queens Park Rangers. That gave Chelsea a platform to go on and win the game through Cesc Fabregas' 88th-minute strike.

Without Courtois, it may well have been a different story.

It's the same for David De Gea at Manchester United.

Too often the Spaniard has proved the difference for his team this term, rightly earning him the plaudits when Van Gaal's team have otherwise struggled at times.

Indeed, there's an argument to suggest De Gea is more valuable to United than Courtois is to Chelsea in that regard.

Jon Super/Associated Press

This Chelsea team aren't on course to claim the club's first league crown since 2010 because of their goalkeeper.

Courtois is an exceptional talent, yet it's the likes of Eden Hazard and Diego Costa who have got them to the top of the pile.

The goalkeeper has played his part, but save for some excellent performances at times—think the Capital One Cup semi-final against Liverpool and that QPR display—he's been more of a squad player than an individual.

Such is the ability throughout Mourinho's team, it's not that often Chelsea have needed Courtois to rescue them.

	Courtois	De Gea
Played	7	8
Won	2	5
Lost	0	2
Draw	5	1
Conceded	6	8

It's the opposite at Old Trafford, where De Gea has been the only reliable aspect of the United defence.

Van Gaal has tinkered with his back line all season in an effort to find the best formula. It's not until recently that United have seemed to show some solidity in that area, too.

It's meant De Gea has been called into action far more than he would have liked—in fact, far more than a goalkeeper at a club with top four ambitions should.

United's defensive weakness has left De Gea exposed, and it's only through his brilliance that the goals-against bracket in the Premier League table doesn't read more than the 30 it does for United right now.

We talk about battles across the pitch for any number of games, and one of the biggest is striker against goalkeeper.

Jon Super/Associated Press

It's a game of psychological superiority as much as it is of skill.

With the odds stacked in their favour, more often than not it's the striker who will come out on top. Yet this season there is a long list of frontmen who have faced De Gea and come out worse off.

The Spaniard has kept United in matches; he's kept them in the race for Champions League qualification.

Courtois' role is different. He's the last line of the defence in the same way as De Gea, although it's more about presence for him.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Mourinho adores players of bulk and size. They are the key to his teams overpowering the opposition when required, bullying their way to victories and titles.

Courtois' skinny frame rules out one of those attributes, but standing at 6'6", he more than makes up for it.

The Belgian is as dominant a goalkeeper as you'll find. The penalty box is where he reigns supreme and any aerial tactics best be executed to perfection, otherwise Courtois will capitalise.

Chelsea's opening game of the season against Burnley gave us a glimpse of what was to come this term.

Jon Super/Associated Press

The Clarets took an early lead to give them hope of an upset, but as they ran out of ideas and Chelsea got on top, they played into the trap many teams have fallen in to: Burnley tried to intimidate Chelsea in the air, only they were no match for Courtois.

Few have been.

He saw every cross as a gift that Monday night in Lancashire, and he duly accepted what Sean Dyche's men were offering. He's been greedy all season in that regard.

De Gea isn't as dominant, but he compensates with his ability to pull off those dramatic saves we often see.

He's a goalkeeper that does the basics well, protecting his goal by any means necessary—he uses his feet as much as his hands.

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

There isn't much to split Courtois and De Gea. They're widely regarded as being among the best young goalkeepers in the world right now, and their pathway to the top has been largely influenced by Atletico Madrid.

De Gea was adored at the Vicente Calderon Stadium by birthright, whereas Courtois was the adopted son who went on to emulate him while on a three-year loan from Chelsea.

At Stamford Bridge on Saturday, who will be the master?

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes