MATCH PREVIEW | Sunderland v Charlton

Johnnie Jackson will take the reins at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon (3pm) as Charlton take on high-flying Sunderland.

The 39-year-old will be assisted by Jason Euell, having been named as Caretaker Manager on Thursday morning following Nigel Adkins’ departure.

TEAM NEWS

Long-term absentees Ryan Inniss (thigh) and Jake Forster-Caskey (ACL) remain sidelined, while Harry Arter (hamstring) will be assessed ahead of the trip to Wearside.

The hosts will be without Arbenit Xhemajli (knee), Niall Huggins (back) and Nathan Broadhead (hamstring), with Elliot Embleton also unavailable as he serves the second game of his three-match suspension following his red card at Gillingham.

Frederik Alves (glute), Corry Evans (calf) and Lynden Gooch (foot), meanwhile, will be monitored by the Black Cats, as will Alex Pritchard having been withdrawn after 57 minutes at Crewe Alexandra with what manager Lee Johnson described as a whiplash-type injury.

THE OPPOSITION

Sunderland currently sit 2nd in the League One table, just a point adrift of table toppers Plymouth Argyle with two games in hand.

The Black Cats come into the fixture on the back of a 4-0 triumph at Crewe Alexandra in midweek and Johnson’s men will be looking to keep their 100% home record intact, having won six from six at the Stadium of Light this term.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Charlton and Sunderland have gone toe-to-toe on 80 previous occasions with the Addicks winning 30, the Black Cats 27 and the remaining 23 encounters resulting in draws. 

The Addicks prevailed on their last visit to the Stadium of Light in April thanks to a Josh Scowen own goal and Alex Gilbey’s maiden Charlton goal, despite Scowen’s strike 13 minutes from time.

MATCH OFFICIALS

Darren Drysdale will be the man in the middle on Saturday afternoon. The referee last officiated the Addicks in April 2019 during a 2-1 reverse at Oxford United.

Drysdale will be assisted by Wayne Grunnill and Ivan Stankovic, while Declan Bourne is the Fourth Official.

COLOURS

The Addicks will be sporting their black and gold third strip at the Stadium of Light.

OTHER INFO

There will be no tickets available at the ground on Saturday.

Fans outside of the UK and Ireland can watch every kick of action live on CharltonTV, with former Addicks striker Shaun Bartlett dialling in to the CharltonTV studio, presented by DNEL Ltd, live from South Africa to join Steve Brown, Alan Curbishley and host Scott Minto.

Audio commentary of the game is available for CharltonTV subscribers in the UK and Ireland, with Terry Smith and Greg Stubley in the gantry.

For more streaming information, click here.

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