Charlton v Stoke City
After a rare weekend off due to the club's exit from the FA Cup, Charlton resume their push for promotion against high-flying Stoke City on Tuesday (7.45pm).
The Addicks have enjoyed an upturn of form of late, and picked up a richly-deserved point at fellow promotion hopefuls Watford last time out, when most post-match verdicts agreed all three points would not have been an unfair return.
But Alan Pardew's men will need to be ready for another tough encounter when Tony Pulis' Potters arrive at The Valley high in confidence following an excellent run that has taken them to fourth place in the Championship.
Despite the draw at Vicarage Road, Charlton slipped down the table to sixth, but still remain just seven points off an automatic promotion spot.
The point against Watford was another boost for the resurgent Addicks, who appear to have recovered from the disappointing New Year's Day home defeat to Colchester United.
It may have taken a late equaliser from Darren Ambrose to salvage a point against Watford, but Charlton, cheered on by more than 1,700 away supporters, were the better side on the night, and were it not for some inspired goalkeeping by Richard Lee, Pardew's side could have left Hertfordshire with a victory.
Pardew has admitted that Charlton's home form has been disappointing this term, but he will be hoping the recent 4-1 win against Blackpool at The Valley could be the confidence boost his team needs to push on up the table and dent Stoke's promotion bid in the process.
The clash is Charlton's first Championship midweek match of 2008, and will see the club experiment with a new kick-off time.
The game will start at 7.45pm, instead of the customary 8pm for midweek home fixtures, as the Addicks respond to requests from fans who have previously struggled to catch connecting trains in London as they make their way home after the game.
The opposition
The fixture against Stoke is likely to be a bruising encounter. The Addicks have occasionally struggled against the division's more imposing teams, and Pulis has moulded together a physical side to good effect.
But that doesn't tell the whole story, and only league leaders West Bromwich Albion have scored more goals than Stoke's tally of 46 in the current campaign.
Unbeaten in their last 12 league games, Pulis has turned Stoke into genuine title contenders after seeing his side just miss out on a play-off place last season.
Like Charlton, Stoke are no longer in the FA Cup after losing in the third round. The Potters were defeated 4-1 by Newcastle United in a replay following a 1-1 draw at the Britannia Stadium.
But Stoke have lost just twice on their travels in the league this season, picking up excellent wins against the likes of Cardiff City, Crystal Palace and Sheffield United along the way.
Their current unbeaten spell is the club's best sequence since an identical run under then-boss Gudjon Thordarson between December 2000 and February 2001, and no team has lost less Championship games to date than City's five.
Former Charlton trialist Ricardo Fuller is again likely to line up against the Addicks on Tuesday. The hard-working Jamaica international has been in fine form this season, notching 12 goals so far, but has picked up almost as many yellow cards, with eight cautions to his name this term.
Fuller is likely to be partnered by Richard Cresswell, with the likes of Rory Delap, Liam Lawrence, Danny Pugh and John Eustace lining up in midfield.
Goalkeeper Steve Simonsen is the undisputed number one at the Britannia Stadium and will start in front of a probable back four of Andy Griffin, Ryan Shawcross, Leon Cort and young Carl Dickinson.
Past meetings
Charlton should know what to expect from Stoke after going down 2-1 to the Potters at the Britannia Stadium back in August.
The clash was a reality check for the recently-relegated Addicks, who weathered an early bombardment to take the lead in the 55th minute when Andy Reid's free-kick diverted off Jonathan Fortune and into the back of the net.
But it all went wrong for the visitors after that, as they lost Yassin Moutaouakil to a nasty-looking ankle injury, before Fuller and substitute Jon Parkin sealed victory for Stoke.
Prior to the clash in August, Stoke and Charlton had not played each other since September 2000 when the Potters triumphed on the away goals rule after a 5-5 aggregate draw in the League Cup second round.
Before that match, the last league meeting between the two clubs came in February 1998 when goals from John Robinson and Anthony Barness earned Charlton a 2-1 win at Stoke's old Victoria Road ground.
Overall, Stoke and Charlton have met 61 times, with the Potters earning 26 wins to Charlton's 23.
Team news
It would be a surprise if Pardew made many changes for the date with Stoke, although Andy Gray is poised to make his full debut for the club after finally sealing his permanent switch from Burnley last week.
Gray came off the bench against Watford after initially signing on loan, and almost snatched the winning goal, only to see his glancing header well saved by Hornets shot-stopper Lee.
Gray could partner either Chris Iwelumo or Luke Varney in attack, with Pardew set to ponder the inclusion of the pacy and in-form Varney or the greater physical presence of joint top scorer Iwelumo, who could prove just as handy in defence. Either way, Chris Dickson looks set to retain his place on the substitutes' bench.
Reid resumed training at the end of last week but has not played since mid-December so is unlikely to be thrust into such an important match, meaning Lloyd Sam, Matt Holland, Zheng Zhi and Ambrose should keep their places in midfield.
The Charlton defence has performed well of late and, despite Fortune's return to fitness, Pardew is likely to stick with a back four of Moutaouakil, Paddy McCarthy, Madjid Bougherra and Kelly Youga in front of Nicky Weaver.
Sam Sodje is still sidelined after sustaining a nasty cut on his arm.
Tickets
Tickets for the game are still available, priced £20 adults, £15 over 60s and U21s, and £10 U18s, and are available to personal callers to the Valley commercial centre, the Valley Superstore and the Bexleyheath retail outlet, online, and on the 0871 226 1905 hotline. They will also be available from the ground in advance of kick-off.
Valley Express details can be found here.
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