With Ronwen Williams sidelined by an injury, Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has been left with a goalkeeping conundrum ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Bafana kick-off their mission to qualify for the 2025 continental showpiece against Uganda at Orlando Stadium on Friday at 18:00.
After that, Broos and his men travel to northern-eastern Africa to battle against South Sudan on Tuesday at 15:00, South African time.
Bafana head into these games with some players lacking match intensity as the local football season is not in full swing yet.
While the Betway Premiership is set to get underway next weekend, only eight teams were involved in the MTN8.
Only Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns, Cape Town City and Stellenbosch FC have played at least three matches this season.
Stellies and Pirates have also played two more matches in the CAF Confederation and Champions League preliminary rounds.
To add to his troubles, Broos will be without captain and first-choice goalkeeper Williams for these two clashes.
The Mamelodi Sundowns shot-stopper, nominated for the Ballon d’Or awards for the Yashin Trophy, went under the knife recently.
Broos called Veli Mothwa, Ricardo Goos and newbie Sipho Chaine in his final squad for the matches.
Mothwa and Goss boast experience in the national team but haven’t played much competitive football in the new season.
Goss featured in the MTN8 3-1 defeat to Pirates while Mothwa is yet to play a competitive game.
Chaine, who has no Bafana experience, has played five games for the Sea Robbers this season and has been in fine form.
Speaking to media early in the week, Broos said he needed to see the three goalies at training before deciding who to start on Friday.
“We have thought a lot about the situation, Helman (Mkhalele) and me, and there are several solutions, not only about goalkeeping but also the players on the pitch,” Broos said.
“We have to keep in mind we will have players that will not have so much (game time) from these recent games, unlike players of Stellenbosch and Pirates.
“And they showed it in their games, you could see on Saturday when Pirates played that those players are ready.
“They played on high rhythm, and it was the same with Stellenbosch (who knocked out Sundowns in the MTN8).
“That was the big difference between Stellenbosch and Sundowns. Stellenbosch was ready for the game, but Sundowns wasn’t ready for the game, and we must take that into account when we put our team together,” Broos said.
“And also, for the goalkeepers, but don’t ask me for an answer now. There has to be a little bit of thinking between Helman and me, I hope we will make the right decision.”
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos on the difficult decisions to make when selecting the team for Uganda and South Sudan. pic.twitter.com/nthhiNDZ6O
— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) September 4, 2024
