MATCH PREVIEW | Preston North End v Charlton

Charlton will be hoping to build on their hard-fought point against promotion-chasing West Bromwich Albion last weekend when they take on Preston North End on Saturday.

Lee Bowyer's side came from a goal down twice to snatch a point against the Baggies and so will be looking to take all three points at Deepdale.

Preston enjoyed a strong start to the season and are still amongst the hunt for play-off places, but Alex Neil's side are winless in their last five league games and have seen themselves drop from third down to 10th place in the Championship.

Speaking at Thursday's press conference, Bowyer was pleased to report that there are a few more bodies making their way back to fitness with Josh Cullen, Erhun Oztumer and Ben Amos all training with the squad this week. Jonny Williams, Tomer Hemed and Jake Forster-Caskey are both back in the fold while Chuks Aneke will look to gain fitness with the U23s this weekend.

But the Addicks will still be without Lyle Taylor, Macauley Bonne, Sam Field, George Lapslie and Lewis Page.

For Preston, Daniel Johnson remains unavailable for selection and Alex Neil confirmed that full-back Andrew Hughes and winger Billy Bodin have picked up injuries.

Preston Confirmed the signing of Scott Sinclair earlier this week but Neil is wary of chucking him into the squad having not played much football in recent months.

Charlton Boss Lee Bowyer: "Preston have got a certain way of playing. You have to respect them because they are a very good side, It's a tough place to go. They're strong and physical.

"When we played them at our place, we lost on a penalty. So do I believe that we can go to their place and win? Of course I do. I believe in the players that I have."

Preston Boss Alex Neil: "We are a momentum-based team. We tend to pick up a couple of points and then get a win and go on a run.

“There is so little between the teams in this league and that’s why we see the results we do across the board. You can go to any team and win or go to any team and lose, that’s why the league is so tight.”

The Lilywhites and the Addicks have faced off on 73 occasions with Charlton winning 24 times, drawing 14 and losing 35. The most recent match between the two sides saw Preston edge out a cagey game thanks to a Paul Gallagher penalty.

Charlton's last victory at Deepdale came in a first visit in 28 years in 2007 when the Addicks ran out as 2-0 winners. Zheng Zhi opened the scoring on the cusp of half-time with a cool finish before Luke Varney put the icing on the cake in the final minute with the Addicks' second.

Dean Whitestone will be the referee on Saturday being joined by Robert Merchant and Phillip Dermott as assistants with Peter Wright as the Fourth Official.

Whitestone has refereed 15 Championship games this season handing out 45 yellow cards, two reds and five penalties. The last time he refereed a Charlton fixture was back in March 2019 when the Addicks were held to a goalless draw by Bristol Rovers.

881 tickets had been sold by the time they went off sale on Thursday afternoon. Tickets will be available from Deepdale on the day at the below prices...

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

Live commentary of the clash - presented by ITRM - will be available on Valley Pass exclusively for subscribers. You can subscribe to Valley Pass or purchase a 48-hour matchday pass, which is priced at just £4.  To purchase the relevant Valley Pass subscription, click here.

Supporters who live abroad will be able to watch live coverage of the match on Valley Pass for a one-off price of £5 or £110 for the season.

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