Battle for the Zamora: Bravo and Alves battling to be Liga's best goalkeeper

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have monopolised all the attention of Spanish football fans in recent seasons by battling for the Pichichi -- the award handed to La Liga's top goal scorer each season. 

On Saturday afternoon, however, the focus will be on the two goalkeepers. 

And that is because Barcelona and Valencia's stoppers, Claudio Bravo and Diego Alves, are fighting for the Zamora trophy, which is competed for by Liga goalkeepers. 

At the moment, Bravo has a slender advantage, conceding less goals and playing one more game. 

The Chilean has let in 0.61 goals per game, while Alves's average is 0.67. 

Over the next eight weeks the fight for the trophy awarded to the league's best goalkeeper is likely to be between these two. 

Sergio Asenjo, of Villarreal, is third and he has conceded 0.97 goals in each match (30 in 31 appearances).

At Camp Nou this weekend, Bravo has the opportunity to move further clear of his Brazilian rival.

He is playing at home, fighting to stay top of La Liga and also to extend his statistical advantage at the top of the Zamora standings. 

In the past he has let in 11 goals in 10 matches against Valencia, while Alves has been beaten 38 times by Barça in 14 games. 

Both go into the match boasting the best numbers of their careers. 

Bravo went 754 minutes unbeaten at the start of the league season, not conceding until Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty in October. 

Alves, for his part, has become the best goalkeeper in the history of Valencia by going 504 minutes unbeaten. 

Valencia once went 663 minutes without conceding a goal in the 1971-72 season, but they used two goalkeepers in that time (Abelardo and Melendez). 

They also went 592 minutes without leaking a goal in 2009-10, also using two goalkeepers (Cesar and Moya).