MATCH PREVIEW | Charlton v Luton Town

Lee Bowyer’s Charlton will be hoping to continue their charge towards the top-two on Saturday when they take on table-topping Luton Town at The Valley (3pm).

The Addicks are unbeaten in their last 10 matches in Sky Bet League One and narrowed the gap on the automatic-promotion spots to just four points with a 1-0 win at Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday night.

Saturday’s match is likely to be a real test of Charlton’s promotion credentials as they’re taking on the division’s current table-toppers in Luton - who are unbeaten in the league since October, which is a club-record run of 28 matches without defeat.

Luton boss Mick Harford recently pipped Bowyer to the Sky Bet League One Manager of the Month award, after his Hatters side picked up 14 points from the six matches they played in the month of March.

Tickets for Saturday's game are on sale and you can purchase yours online by clicking here

Krystian Bielik is the only injury doubt for the Addicks after suffering a knock to the ankle at Plymouth Argyle last Saturday. He has received injections in order to boost his chances of being available for this weekend’s top-of-the-table clash.

Luton will be without their top-scorer James Collins through suspension, after he was sent off for a second-bookable offence last week in their 2-2 draw with Blackpool.

Tickets for Saturday’s home game are on restricted sale and they can be purchased online by clicking here or by calling 03330 14 44 44 up until 1pm on Saturday. They will remain on sale in person from The Valley right up until kick-off.

Charlton Athletic boss Lee Bowyer: “It will be a good, entertaining game. Two teams trying to stop each other and the team who takes their chances will win. At the moment, we are defending very well but we’re not taking enough chances. You never know, Saturday might be the day we do.

“Their manager has to take a hell of a lot of credit for where they are. You have to respect him for that. I was hoping he was going to change things around but he kept it going and maintained what they had and they deserve to go up.”

Luton Town manager Mick Harford: "There's some good teams in and around us, you have got four or five really good teams. Ourselves, Pompey, Sunderland, Barnsley and Charlton are vying for the two spots at the moment, so it's a real competitive top end of the table in my opinion.

“We can just put out the best team that we believe can beat a team on a Saturday and hope other teams can do us favours. It’s going to be very competitive towards the end of the season. There will be twists and turns all over the place."

Charlton and Luton have met 72 times over the years, with the Addicks winning 25 of those games, drawing 14 and losing 33.

Earlier in the season, a dramatic goal in stoppage-time from Chris Solly salvaged a point for the Addicks in a thrilling 2-2 at Kenilworth Road. 

For 2018/19's match previews, we are dipping into the Valley Pass archive to look back on a previous encounter against Charlton's opponents. 

This time, we wind the clock back to earlier this season when Chris Solly bagged a last-gasp equaliser to rescue a point for the Addicks at Kenilworth Road.

Gavin Ward will take charge of Saturday afternoon’s game at The Valley.

Ward has only officiated two League One games this season, which included Charlton’s 2-0 home win over Doncaster Rovers in November. He’s been in charge of a total of 34 games in all competitions this season, brandishing 33 yellow cards and six reds.

His assistants will be Matt Foley and Mark Pottage, with Daniel Leach as the fourth official.

The Charlton Upbeats are the stars of Valley Review when Luton Town visit SE7 on Saturday.

For the fourth year running, members of the Community Trust’s Down’s syndrome grace the front cover of the matchday programme as the club celebrate Charlton Upbeats Day, with the nine-mile charity walk from Sparrows Lane to The Valley taking place prior to Saturday’s match.

Saturday’s edition of Valley Review is priced at £3 and can be purchased from in and around The Valley. To read more about Saturday's programme, please click here.

The North Stand’s free entry supporters’ bar will be open as usual, with its doors opening from 12pm.

All season ticket holders and Charlton fans with match tickets are welcome to visit the Fans’ Bar before and after the game and supporters can purchase food and drinks in there.

On Saturday, the Fans’ Bar will be showing the early kick-off between Tottenham Hotspur and Huddersfield Town and the late game between Manchester United and West Ham United.

Saturday's Family Activity Zone will be open between 1.15pm and 2.30pm, giving youngsters the chance to warm up for the game by playing FIFA, pool and table tennis.

Outside, youngsters can play in the FAZ’s football cage and practice their football shooting skills with the Community Trust’s inflatable target game.

A number of options will be available on the East Street menu for Saturday. As well as a ‘sausage of the match’ – which changes every matchday – portions of chips will be on sale and, as a sweeter option, muffins and jam doughnuts will be available amongst other things.

Supporters can follow all the build-up to the game on Charlton's official Instagram account, official Twitter account, Facebook page and official Snapchat account.

Live commentary of the clash - which is presented by ITRM - will be available on Valley Pass exclusively for subscribers. Please click here for more information on how you can subscribe to Valley Pass and how you can purchase a 48-hour matchday pass, which is priced at just £4.

Fans are also advised to arrive at The Valley in good time, and to plan their journeys in advance, in order to avoid long queues when buying tickets and entering the ground. Searches will be taking place at the turnstiles due to heightened security in the capital at this time.

All EFL clubs have been provided with the below information.

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