Chiefs are set to visit Elgeco Plus for the second leg of their first-round tie at the Analamanga Stadium in Antananarivo on Saturday afternoon, after registering a 3-0 victory at the Moses Mabhida Stadium last Saturday.
Amakhosi will be optimistic of reaching the qualifying round for the group stage of the competition, where they will face one of the 15 losers from the CAF Champions League play-off round.
However, Middendorp is not without concerns as defender Mario Booysen and star forward Khama Billiat picked up knocks over the weekend and will be monitored throughout their preparations this week.
“We are just worried about Mario Booysen and Khama Billiat, who came out with some niggles after the game. We have to monitor them carefully,” said the German tactician.
Billiat is joint-third on the competition's top scorers' chart, having netted three goals – all of which came in their preliminary round first-leg victory over Zanzibarian outfit Zimamoto.
The pair will have until Thursday evening to recover as Chiefs have confirmed their departure for Madagascar on Friday morning, with kick-off scheduled for 13h30 (SA time) on Saturday.