Chiefs will contest the Telkom Knockout semi-finals against Maritzburg United at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Sunday afternoon as they look to reach a second successive cup final.
The Glamour Boys will be without three key players, including Willard Katsande and Erick Mathoho, but a decision has already been made on who will fill Akpeyi's shoes in goal following his fourth booking picked up in their last outing.
"It's no secret that Bruce Bvuma is playing [this weekend]. He played against Chippa United in Port Elizabeth 14 days ago. It was a good game and he contributed in a very good way," declared Middendorp on Thursday morning.
"And, don't forget, we're not talking about an unknown name. He was at the 2019 AFCON as one of three players in the national team setup, so he will be 100 percent back [in Bafana Bafana] in future.
"Let him now grow. Let him now learn more to be better and more experienced, but there's no doubt about it, he is a very clear replacement to take this position on Sunday [against Maritzburg]."
Middendorp confirmed that recently re-signed Brylon Petersen will get his first opportunity as back-up for Bvuma on the Amakhosi bench.
The German also provided an update on the recovery of the club's long-serving first-choice shot-stopper, for whom he is also awaiting a further report from goalkeeping coach Lee Baxter.
"He's training and trying to come closer. At a certain time, I see what he is delivering but I am waiting for feedback from the goalkeeper department, who can really say how far he is," he added.
"But in the moment, we can't try to push him. We have to manage now this one game, and that's it. It's not possible to think about Itu Khune."