Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace provides key injury update as ex-Pompey target aims to cook up a storm

Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace has confirmed that two highly-rated youngsters in Owen Beck and Amario Cozier-Duberry will both be fit and available to feature in this weekend’s match against Portsmouth.

The two loanees, who secured temporary moves to Ewood from Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion respectively, have missed the last few outings due to issues. Elsewhere, Tyrhys Dolan is also available having served a one-match suspension that kept him out of the game against Cardiff City prior to the international break.

“Owen Beck’s been back for a few days now and it’s great to have him back amongst the group. Amario’s back as well and I don’t think there are any more injuries.” Eustace told the club website. “Ty’s coming back from suspension and we’re pleased we’re getting more bodies back. We have 23 games in a short period of time now and everyone’s going to be needed.”

Cozier-Duberry will be a familiar face to Portsmouth boss John Mousinho, who kept close tabs on the former Arsenal winger throughout the summer, before instead striking a deal for Liverpool’s Harvey Blair. The youngster has expressed his desire to make up for lost time and has spoken about how he is settling into his new life in Lancashire.

Cozier-Duberry said: “I’m grateful for that and I feel I’ve settled well and that it’s gone smoothly. I’m living by myself and it’s a big life change, but I feel I’m dealing with it well. I like my own space and the challenging part has been learning to cook! Pasta and chicken is the easiest things for me to make! This move will benefit me quite a lot as I get older and I’ll take a lot from here wherever I go.”

Blackburn have made huge strides under Eustace this season and have so far looked a completely different proposition to the team that narrowly avoided the drop last term. The ex-Birmingham boss is seeking greater consistency and has claimed that the Premier League has to be the ultimate goal. The Blue and Whites sit ninth in the table and recently ended a run of four games with a win by beating Cardiff 3-1 in Wales last time out.

He explained: "Over the course of 15 games, we've shown really good signs of doing some good things. We're a good team and we've only let ourselves down on a few occasions. Some games we have played very well and not got results. It's about growing and evolving as a group. A third of the way through, we're content with where we are but we want more. The group is fantastic to work with and it's important to keep building and keep investing. We want this club to go forward and that's why I came here.

"The ambition has to be to get back in the Premier League and that doesn't happen without good people and good investment. We will give it a go (this season) but the most important thing is to keep improving. We have players who don't know the leagues, they're getting used to those levels. The group can stick together and you are building a core group that you can add to each summer. Who knows where that can then take you?"

Meanwhile, Pompey, who were also without a win in four matches entered the international break on a high after beating fellow strugglers Preston 3-1 in arguably the best performance of the season so far.

Club captain Marlon Pack admitted that he would have rather not had the international break but adds that he is focused on helping his team secure a positive result. He said: “It’s really hard as player with these three international breaks coming so quickly and for us we’d probably have preferred not to have it. But it was important to get that result and use this week to re-evaluate.”