Blackburn Rovers must hand senior debut to one man in Stockport County cup clash: View | OneFootball

It may be time for another academy product to make their first-team debut for the Ewood Park club

After an excellent start to the season on Friday, Blackburn Rovers will be looking to continue to build on that momentum this week.

While the victory over Derby County to open the campaign did highlight some areas that still need to be addressed at Ewood Park, there was also plenty to be positive about.

It was a game in which John Eustace's side rallied to come back to win comfortably after conceding an inevitable equaliser, at a time when the visitors had been on top in the game.

There were also impressive performances from several of the club's new summer signings on debut, with Makhtar Gueye, Yuki Ohashi and Andreas Weimann all making an impact.

Now, this week will see Eustace challenged to maintain that feel good factor around the club, while balancing that with keeping his squad fresh.

Blackburn Rovers in midweek cup action

At this early stage of the season, the games come thick and fast, and Rovers will indeed be in action again just a few days after their season opener.

On Tuesday night, the Championship side are set to travel to Edgeley Park to take on newly-promoted League One side Stockport County in the first round of the Carabao Cup.

That, of course, leaves Eustace with a tough task when it comes to managing his Blackburn squad.

Having started on such a positive note with that win on Friday, he is not going to want to lose that with a defeat to a team from the division below.

Indeed, with Stockport themselves looking very short on first-team options, there is an opportunity here for Rovers to take.

But at the same time, the bench named by Eustace against Derby highlighted the lack of depth for his side in certain positions at the minute.

However, the league is, of course, a much bigger priority for Blackburn, especially after such a close call with relegation last season.

As a result, he will also want to keep his key man fresh for Saturday's league clash at Norwich, especially considering the promise with which they started the season against Derby.

With all that in mind, there ought to be an argument that one Blackburn Rovers academy graduate ought to be firmly in line for his senior debut at Edgeley Park on Tuesday night.

Leo Duru is ready for his first-team chance

Having come through the youth ranks at Blackburn, Leo Duru enjoyed an excellent pre-season for the first-team.

The 19-year-old featured regularly at right-back, winning plenty of plaudits for his performances in several friendlies.

He is, though, yet to make his competitive senior debut for the Ewood Park outfit, although that is something that ought to change at Stockport.

After catching the eye at youth level and in those recent friendlies, while also signing a new long-term contract in the summer, Duru has surely earned the right to get his first-team chance.

There are plenty of others who have been given opportunities against lower league opposition in the cup competitions in recent years, so there should be no concerns about playing him now.

It is also important for Blackburn, when it comes to their options on the right-hand side of their defence.

As things stand, Duru is the most senior and natural right-back option behind Callum Brittain in the pecking order at Ewood Park.

While there are other options who can step into that role, it would therefore be good to get this experience under the belt of the 19-year-old.

That way, the teenager will feel better prepared if he ever has to be called upon this season, with the confident he could gain from a competitive outing.

It will give Eustace a clearer idea of where Duru can be relied on this season, or if he needs a loan for his development.

Beyond that, it will also ensure that Brittain himself can get a break, to allow him to be fully fresh for that all-important trip to Norwich on Saturday, given that lack of experienced alternative options.

With all that in mind, it would seem to make sense for Tuesday night to be the moment where Duru gets the chance to take the next big step in his Blackburn Rovers career.