Charlton v Watford
It's crunch time in SE7 on Saturday when Charlton confront what is arguably the club's first crucial home fixture of the campaign.
Monday night's encounter at Fulham was big enough, but after another unfortunate reverse head coach Iain Dowie will know that his team will need to take all three points off Premiership newcomers Watford (3pm).
A second victory of the season could see the Addicks rise to 17th spot depending on other results, so get behind the Reds!
Iain Dowie seems to be a man whose glass is always half full, so the official website preview will follow the example set by the Addicks head coach and think positively ahead of Saturday's Premiership clash at The Valley.
People who don't have the same sunny outlook on life may ask how you can be positive about losing seven out of eight games to sit bottom of the table.
OK, so Charlton fans have hardly had the start they would have wanted under their new boss and are understandably frustrated, but let's look at things objectively.
Firstly, there are 90 points still up for grabs for Dowie's men this term.
Secondly, the Addicks have played every team inside the current top six in their opening run of fixtures - that's Manchester United, Chelsea, Bolton Wanderers, Portsmouth, Arsenal and Aston Villa.
Thirdly, Darren Bent is continuing his goalscoring heroics in only his second Premiership season, notching five top-flight goals so far plus a further Carling Cup strike.
And that's without mentioning the injuries/suspensions/bad luck sustained so far this term that have undoubtedly had an effect on the impact of the new regime at The Valley.
But if you're still not convinced, perhaps the following observation will help change your mind...
A learned member of the club's communications department pointed out earlier this week that Charlton's start to the 2006/07 campaign has almost exactly mirrored that of Everton last season.
But the Toffees, who ultimately finished just outside the top 10 in 11th, were in an even worse predicament than the Valley men are now.
David Moyes' men lost 2-0 at home to Manchester United on the opening day of the season before beating Bolton Wanderers 1-0 away from home. Six defeats followed - to Fulham, Portsmouth, Arsenal, Wigan Athletic, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur - without Everton managing to score a single goal, and in their ninth fixture they drew 1-1 at home to champions Chelsea.
With Charlton hosting newly promoted Watford on Saturday (3pm) at the same stage of this campaign, a point will be the very least they would expect from an important Valley fixture.
And while it's certainly too early in the season to be talking about 'must-wins' and 'six-pointers', when bottom plays second-from-bottom there's always a lot at stake on the outcome.
The opposition
Adrian Boothroyd's side has yet to win a match since returning to the top flight of English football - and they'll no doubt fancy their chances on Saturday.
The Hornets have accumulated their one-point superior total to the Addicks via four draws, at home to West Ham United, Aston Villa and a dramatic 3-3 tie with Fulham, and they have picked up their only point away from Vicarage Road at Wigan.
In his first managerial post, 34-year-old Boothroyd steered the Hornets away from feared relegation and into the Premiership in his first full season via a play-off final victory against Leeds United, where he'd previously worked as first-team coach.
Without much funding, the Hertfordshire club plumped for the tried-and-tested method of adding experience to the squad during the summer.
Former Valley fans' favourite, veteran left-back Chris Powell, signed a one-year contract in June following a free transfer from SE7. He was joined by fellow former Addicks academy defender Danny Shittu, who transferred from Queens Park Rangers for £1.6m, and former Charlton youngster Sheku Kamara, who was released by the club last term.
Ex-Wigan, Norwich City and Wimbledon midfielder Damien Francis was also a summer recruit and he is set to start his 200th career match at The Valley.
The goals have been shared around so far with Ashley Young and Marlon King scoring two each, and Francis and Hameur Bouazza chipping in with one apiece.
Watford also managed to re-sign young Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster on loan for a second successive season.
Head to head
Charlton have never met Watford in the Premiership before and the last competitive meeting between the two sides was in the fourth round of the League Cup during the 2001/02 season.
Level at 2-2 after 90 minutes at Vicarage Road, Heidar Helguson's 99th-minute goal put the home side through after extra-time.
Addicks skipper Luke Young is the only player still at the club to have featured in that tie.
In terms of the Dowie v Boothroyd head-to-head, the two managers almost went toe-to-toe in their last battle!
The Hornets boss pushed Eagles defender Fitz Hall in a moment of madness that sparked a mass brawl in the 0-0 second leg of last season's Championship play-offs.
Likely line-up
In terms of team selection, Dowie is unlikely to make many unforced changes, with his insistence that the team is improving with every game, despite results eluding them.
Exciting winger Jerome Thomas is pushing for a starting berth, however, having completed 45 minutes in Tuesday's reserve match against Fulham after making a late cameo in the previous night's Premiership encounter in which he helped create Darren Bent's consolation.
And Thomas' availability may warrant a tinker with the team shape.
Andy Reid, looking for his third consecutive start, could move into the middle with Thomas out wide, while Dowie may be tempted into a 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 line-up with Dennis Rommedahl, who was at the heart of every Addicks attack at Fulham, on the opposite flank.
If the change in formation does occur, Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink may miss out, although Dowie has asked the Dutchman to play in the hole behind Bent before.
Either way, Dowie will be looking for goals - as well as a clean sheet.
At the back, Souleymane Diawara, who enjoyed an impressive showing in front of the Sky cameras at Craven Cottage, should be fit after pulling up with cramp towards the end of Monday's derby and would expect to keep his place alongside Talal El Karkouri.
It's still too soon for Djimi Traore, who is having trouble with his calf as a result of the fracture to his leg, so Hermann Hreidarsson looks set to stay at left-back.
Dowie again reiterated the importance of the fans as Charlton look to end their poor run.
It's not quite time yet for Richard Murray to 'do a Delia' but having a 12th man on your side at The Valley can only be a positive thing on Saturday.
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