Darío Osorio in line for first Crystal Palace start against Middlesbrough in Carabao Cup

It only took a few minutes for Darío Osorio to begin writing his story in England. On Saturday, with the clock ticking down late in the match, the Chilean winger came off the bench in Crystal Palace's 3-2 win over Fulham, sealing his Premier League debut. It was just a handful of minutes, but enough to get the Chilean forward's name buzzing a little louder around the locker room.

Now comes the next step, and it's no small one: this Tuesday, Crystal Palace hosts Middlesbrough in the third round of the Carabao Cup, and Osorio has a real shot at starting. The match is set for Selhurst Park at 3:45 p.m. Chilean time.

Why the optimism about a start from the opening whistle? Because manager Pierre Sage himself hinted that changes are coming to the lineup, though without completely tearing up the setup that delivered the result against Fulham. The French coach was candid about the toll that match took and about the need to spread minutes around.

I have to check on the players' physical condition, but a lot of them were really tired by the end of the match. That's a good sign, because we needed to give more than expected to win it. But the most important thing now is to have fresh legs, and we might need some players who haven't played much, or who didn't play against FulhamPierre Sage

The coach was also honest about how he handles rotation, a touchy subject for any manager competing on multiple fronts at once. Sage admitted he's not a fan of major lineup shakeups, but understands this is the point in the calendar to make them.

I'm not big on major rotations, because every time I've done it I've ended up unhappy by the end of the match, especially with the result, but sometimes also with the players' coordination, because they lack that cohesion. But early in the season, we have to respect everyone's commitment during training. This might be the chance for them to show it, and we have to win this match because we're ambitious in this competition tooPierre Sage

Those words leave a clear door open for Osorio. After months of adjusting to English football, the Carabao Cup looks like the ideal stage for the Chilean to get his first start and show why the club decided to bet on him. It doesn't take a fortune teller to see the moment could suit him perfectly: a team with tired legs, a coach willing to hand out opportunities, and an opponent, Middlesbrough, coming up from the Championship.

The ambition Sage mentions isn't just talk. Crystal Palace wants to advance in the competition, and to do that, it needs the less experienced players to deliver when given the chance. For Osorio, that moment could arrive this Tuesday.