Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has revealed that Ben Brereton Diaz will not feature for the club in their clash with Coventry City this weekend.

The forward is currently on international duty with Chile and is set to represent his country on Friday morning (01:00 BST) when they face Venezuela in their latest World Cup qualifier.

Brereton Diaz received a surprise call up by Chile earlier this year and went on to feature in the 2021 Copa America which was won by Argentina.

After scoring in this particular tournament, the 22-year-old has taken his game to new heights in the Championship this season.

In the 11 league games that he has played for Blackburn, Brereton Diaz has managed to find the back of the net on 10 occasions.

With Blackburn set to play on Saturday, the forward would have faced the prospect of featuring in two games in an incredibly short period of time.

Making reference to Brereton Diaz, Mowbray has admitted that whilst the forward will not take part in the club's showdown with Coventry, he could be in line to make his return to action when Rovers face Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday.

Speaking to Lancs Live about Brereton Diaz, the 57-year-old said: "He's not in contention for Saturday.

"We hope he's in contention for Tuesday.

 

 

 

"It seems almost like a military operation to get him for Tuesday but fingers crossed he will be able to travel to QPR and play that game."

The Verdict

Whilst not having Brereton Diaz at his disposal this weekend is unquestionably a blow for Mowbray, there is no reason why Blackburn cannot go on to secure a result in the forward's absence.

Although Coventry currently possess the best home record in the Championship, they have been relatively toothless on their travels this season as they have only managed to pick up four points from five away games.

Providing that the likes of John Buckley, Ian Poveda and Daniel Butterworth are able to step up to the mark this weekend, Blackburn could send out a real signal of intent to the rest of the second-tier by defeating Mark Robins' side.

If Rovers maintain their consistency in the coming months, they could potentially emerge as legitimate contenders for a top-six finish in the Championship.