MATCH PREVIEW | Charlton v Plymouth Argyle

Charlton return to SE7 this weekend for Saturday’s #FillTheValley clash against Sky Bet League One leaders Plymouth Argyle (3pm).

The Addicks will be looking to maintain their unbeaten league record under Johnnie Jackson, having accumulated 10 points from a possible 12 with the Caretaker Manager at the helm.

And with over 25,500 expected in SE7 this weekend, supporters are encouraged to arrive at The Valley in plenty of time to ease congestion at the turnstiles.

TEAM NEWS

Chris Gunter (Wales) and Conor Washington (Northern Ireland) have both returned from international duty unscathed, though the Addicks will be without Akin Famewo and Jayden Stockley as they serve their respective suspensions.

Jackson anticipates this weekend’s encounter to fall too soon for Adam Matthews (calf) and Jonathan Leko (hip), with the duo joining long-term absentees Sam Lavelle (groin), Ryan Inniss (quad) and Jake Forster-Caskey (ACL) on the sidelines.

The visitors have also welcomed back two internationals in Brendan Galloway (Zimbabwe) and Luke Jephcott (Wales U21), while George Cooper (foot) is back in contention. James Bolton (ankle) and Niall Ennis (hamstring) are both still unavailable.

THE OPPOSITION

A remarkable 16-match league unbeaten run sees Ryan Lowe’s table-topping Plymouth side travel to the capital in scintillating form, with the Pilgrims’ only defeat in the third tier coming on the opening-day at Rotherham United.

The visitors secured their passage into the Emirates FA Cup second-round with a 3-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in midweek, preceded by a 4-1 triumph at Accrington Stanley in their last League One outing.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Charlton and Plymouth have squared off on 72 previous occasions with the Addicks winning 30, the Pilgrims 27 and the remaining 15 encounters resulting in draws.

The last meeting between the two sides saw the Addicks register a club record-equalling away league victory last April, cruising to a 6-0 victory at Home Park.

Argyle’s last visit to The Valley, meanwhile, came on Boxing Day in 2020. Gunter’s maiden Charlton goal on 32 minutes cancelled out Luke Jephcott’s early strike, only for the latter to restore the Pilgrims’ lead just four minutes later. Substitute Marcus Maddison secured the Addicks a share of the spoils, though, plundering in a low drive from range midway through the second period.

MATCH OFFICIALS

Christopher Pollard will oversee proceedings on Saturday afternoon. The official last refereed a Charlton fixture in February 2021 - a 2-1 reverse against Burton Albion in SE7.

Pollard will be assisted by Matthew Lee and Daniel Cook, while Geoffrey Russell is the Fourth Official.

OTHER INFO

There will be a wide variety of catering options available to supporters for Saturday’s game, with catering vans in the West car park serving fish and chips and Colombian arepas, while Lush Burgers will be situated in the East Stand. 

Located in the Fans’ Bar, Jam Paradise will be serving jerk chicken, jerk pork or Jamaican ackee along with some delicious sides, with the guest ale for Saturday’s game being Doom Bar. 

The Fans’ Bar will be opening its doors from 12pm and will be showing Leicester City v Chelsea (12.30pm) and Liverpool v Arsenal (5.30pm), as well as CharltonTV’s pre-game show from 2.15pm and the CharltonTV post-game show.

Fans outside of the UK and Ireland can watch every kick of action live on CharltonTV, with former Addicks forward Paul Walsh starring alongside Alan Curbishley and host Scott Minto in the CharltonTV studio, presented by DNEL Ltd.

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

For more streaming information, please click here.

Supporters can buy Valley Gold Jackpot tickets online for the fixture. For every £1 spent on a Jackpot ticket, half goes to the club’s Academy to help produce the stars of the future, with the other half going to the two winners of a cash prize.

Click here to be in with a chance of winning up to £2,000.

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