Kaizer Chiefs' number one conundrum? Who will stand in goal vs Mamelodi Sundowns

With the freedom to trade in the transfer market again, there are a lot of new options for Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter as he leads his side into battle against Mamelodi Sundowns in Sunday's MTN8 quarter-final clash at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.

When Orlando Pirates bought Richard Ofori from Maritzburg United ahead of last season, it was always pretty clear that the Ghana stopper was going to be the club's number one.

When Chiefs bought Brandon Petersen, among a host of other new signings, the opposite has happened - it's even more difficult to predict who the number one will be.

With all four goalkeepers in the mix, competition levels will be high, which may be a good thing. On the other hand, there are going to be some experienced, quality goalkeepers who are going to get very little game-time this season for the Soweto giants.

Going into the first match of the season against Sundowns, it's arguably the goalkeeping position which will give the technical team the biggest headaches.

Goal takes a look at the pros and cons of starting one of Khune, Akpeyi, Petersen or Bvuma.

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Daniel Akpeyi

He's not the long-term answer for the position and has had his ups and downs at Chiefs. The former Chippa United custodian does seem to have the inside lane at present though - it was the Nigerian international who got to start in the Caf Champions League final against Al Ahly last month. If he can eradicate some careless errors from his game, Akpeyi has what it takes. But to date, he's not really proven himself reliable over a long period of time and seems to lose his cool at times.

Bruce Bvuma

Bvuma has to find a way to shake off the disappointment of being relegated to the bench for the Champions League final, despite having been absolutely outstanding in the two-legged semi-final. It was a harsh decision against a player who had been enjoying his best-ever run in the team after having waited so patiently. Good enough to make the Bafana Bafana squad, Bvuma either needs to play regularly this season, or move somewhere where he's better appreciated.

Itumeleng Khune

Khune still has the love of the Amakhosi fans - he was the second most voted for Chiefs player after Samir Nurkovic in the Carling Black Label Cup a couple of weeks back. He also had a solid match against Orlando Pirates.

Last season, though, the cracks started to show with Khune, who made a significant number of uncharacteristic blunders and who has not been fully fit and at his best for a while. But for all he's done for the club, he deserves the chance to remain the number one for now at least.

Brandon Petersen

Petersen’s credentials are good, but not any better than the current keepers, and certainly his career hasn’t reached anywhere near the levels of Khune or Akpeyi, regular internationals. He arrived a free agent, not having played since Bidvest Wits sold their franchise a year ago. The former Ajax Cape Town goalie did, however, do brilliantly for Chiefs in the Black label Cup - after coming on for Khune late on, he made three superb saves in the penalty shootout. Goalkeeping, though, is more than just saving penalties.

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Verdict:

Out of loyalty, Khune should be given the gloves on Sunday. It’s up to him to maintain high enough standards to keep them, and it’s up to the other keepers to work hard enough to dislodge the veteran stopper.