Nicolas Schmid ‘nailed on Portsmouth starter’ after ‘insane’ stat v Oxford United
Portsmouth have been in the market for a new goalkeeper this summer after Toby Steward joined St Johnstone on loan.
Former Tottenham goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman had been on trial with the Blues this summer after becoming a free agent, but Pompey ultimately chose against signing him.
John Mousinho is now looking elsewhere for a new goalkeeper, who is likely to become the third choice on the south coast.
Ben Killip and Nicolas Schmid have been battling it out over the summer for the number one spot, but there seems to be a clear winner in the race.
Schmid third-highest rated player following Oxford United win
Portsmouth started their Championship season by picking up three points. The 1-0 win over Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday (9 August) wasn’t the prettiest, but Mousinho’s side got the job done against a difficult opponent.
Portsmouth will hope to pick up another win in the EFL Cup First Round against League One side Reading at Fratton Park on Tuesday (12 August).
One of the key reasons behind Pompey’s fine form has been their stability in goal.
Schmid operated as the number one for much of last season, but Killip stepped up when asked to during preseason.
Despite impressing during the friendlies, Killip is unlikely to become the number one anytime soon after Schmid laid down a marker against Oxford.
The Austrian was a wall in net for the Blues at the Kassam Stadium, and despite the O’s 1.44 expected goals, he managed to keep a hard-earned clean sheet.
- Schmid made four saves against Oxford
- He was helped out by his defence, who made 22 tackles and 49 clearances
Schmid earned the third-highest SofaScore rating out of any Championship player over the opening weekend of 9.1.
The keeper prevented 1.67 goals and dealt with everything that came his way in an important win.
He was only behind Southampton’s Ryan Manning (9.2) and Bristol City’s Scott Twine (9.5) in the rankings for the weekend.
How do Killip and Schmid compare?
Schmid was crucial in keeping Portsmouth’s fine form up against Oxford.
The 28-year-old looks set to be the number one for the season, but Killip will be hot on his heels should he slip up.
| Player | Games | Clean sheets | Save percentage |
| Ben Killip | 294 | 53 | 69.7% |
| Nicolas Schmid | 250 | 73 | 68% |
Overall, Killip has spent a lot more time as a number two keeper in his career and has lacked Championship experience.
Meanwhile, Schmid has developed plenty of top-flight experience abroad and has worked his way into the first-team squad, something Killip will have to do should he have a long-term future with the Blues.
Sign up for the Pompey News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Portsmouth news sent straight to your phone.