Saturday’s big Sky Bet Championship clash sees Charlton Athletic host Leeds United at The Valley in a blockbuster clash.
After Nottingham Forest went top on Friday evening, at least one point here is all that Leeds need to reclaim top spot whilst Charlton can possibly climb into the top six if they win and other results go their way.
Team news
Jason Pearce is available for Charlton after overcoming a strain which kept him on the bench during last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Wigan.
Beram Kayal (groin) and Lyle Taylor (knee) are both still sidelined alongside Adam Matthews (fitness).
Leeds will be without Pablo Hernandez due to a muscle injury picked up during the warm-up before their 1-1 draw with Derby last weekend.
Luke Ayling and Tyler Roberts are both unlikely to start but could be named on the bench as they continue to regain full fitness from recent injuries.
Form
Charlton come into this match off the back of two consecutive defeats, which brought their unbeaten start to an end.
Leeds have lost just once in their eight league games so far but have won all four away outings so far, with just the one conceded goal which came in their opening away trip to Bristol City.
Stat Attack
- Charlton are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Leeds (W3, D2).
- Both teams have scored in three of their last four meetings.
- Naby Sarr is the only Charlton player from their last team sheet against Leeds in April 2016 who is still with the club, whereas Leeds still retain three players from that match in Liam Cooper, Stuart Dallas and Kalvin Phillips.
Prediction
After last week’s defeat dropped them out of the top six for the first time this season, Charlton will definitely be looking to hit back here against a Leeds team who are surely missing a key player in Pablo Hernandez.
The Addicks however don’t tend to score nor concede many at home so I reckon this could be a tighter match than many expected, with the points possibly shared but Leeds’ quality should show through eventually.
Prediction: Charlton Athletic 1-2 Leeds United
Result: Charlton Athletic 1-0 Leeds United