Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi has explained why he chose to start with Brandon Petersen between the sticks over Bruce Bvuma in the Nedbank Cup final.
The sold-out Nedbank Cup Soweto Derby final took place at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday, 10 May 2025.
Amakhosi secured a 2-1 victory over the Buccaneers, ending their almost 10-year trophy drought. Goals from Gaston Sirino and captain Yusuf Maart were enough to earn Chiefs the much-needed win in the final. Evidence Makgopa scored the only goal for the Sea Robbers.
In the current campaign, Bvuma has played 23 games across all competitions for the Glamour Boys, while Petersen has only featured in four games.
NASREDDINE NABI ON WHY HE STARTED WITH BRANDON PETERSEN IN GOAL OVER BRUCE BVUMA
The Tunisian mentor stated that he opted to start with Petersen in goal because they realised that Bvuma has been under a lot of pressure and they wanted to protect him.
He went on to reveal that they have been implementing a rotational policy in their goalkeeping department since the start of the season.
“We have been doing rotation on our goalkeepers, before it was Ntwari, then after Bruce and now is Petersen. So, Petersen has been working extremely well and his abilities in the air [gave him an advantage],” said Nabi on SABC 1.
“We have noticed that Bruce has had an enormous amount of pressure in the previous, which could affect his performances negatively.
“So, we also wanted to protect him, and we believe that at this moment the best choice was Petersen.”
Chiefs will now turn their focus to their last two Betway Premiership matches against Sekhukhune United and Polokwane City FC, as they aim to fight for the top eight spot, which they missed out on in the last game.
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