A key battle in the fight for top-six spots in the League One table will take place at The Valley on Tuesday, as Charlton Athletic host Barnsley.
The hosts sit sixth and two points ahead of the chasing pack thanks to a dramatic victory at the weekend, while their visitors have moved within four points of the playoff spots with three straight wins.
Match preview
© Imago
Charlton Athletic return to The Valley on Tuesday aiming to further strengthen their standing in League One's top six, having climbed into the final playoff place in recent weeks.
On the back of a draw and a defeat in January, leaving them on 34 points from 24 outings in mid-table, the Addicks find themselves as one of the English third tier's form sides, having won seven of their last nine games while only losing once to add 22 points to their tally.
That solitary loss came away at league leaders Birmingham City after a run of five wins and a draw, and Nathan Jones's side have quickly bounced back since, firstly returning to winning ways at home to Exeter City with Tyreece Campbell and Miles Leaburn on the scoresheet after an Angus MacDonald own goal in a 3-0 triumph.
A trip to fellow playoff-chasers Leyton Orient then followed on Saturday, and despite trailing until injury time, the Addicks managed to move three points clear of their hosts with a dramatic victory, as Macaulay Gillesphey levelled the scores and Kayne Ramsay netted the decisive goal in the 97th minute.
Now sitting sixth in League One, two points ahead of seventh-placed Bolton Wanderers and two behind fifth-placed Huddersfield Town with a game in hand, Charlton Athletic will hope to make it three wins on the bounce on Tuesday to further strengthen their playoff bid.
© Imago
That will be no easy task, though, as the visitors aim to continue their own winning run and narrow their gap to the top six.
After a pleasing first half to their first season under the management of Darrell Clarke, Barnsley looked to have all but dropped out of the playoff race early in the new year as a six-match run produced five defeats and a single goalless draw with Burton Albion.
The Reds outfit have bounced back and reignited their hopes since, though, firstly returning to winning ways with a 1-0 away triumph over Yorkshire rivals Rotherham United before making it back-to-back wins on the road by beating Northampton Town 2-1 thanks to David Keillor-Dunn's brace.
Lincoln City then visited Oakwell on Saturday and Clarke's side recorded a first home win since early January in dramatic fashion, having gone 3-0 up through Keillor-Dunn, Adam Phillips and Georgie Gent and 4-1 up through Max Watters in the 76th minute.
They had to stand strong to see out a 4-3 triumph eventually, as Reeco Hackett-Fairchild and Jovon Makama reduced the visitors' deficit to one, and now back in 10th spot and within four points of the playoff places, Barnsley will aim to make it four straight league wins and three on the road to go a point behind the hosts.
Team News
© Imago
Nathan Jones may opt to make slight changes to his Charlton Athletic starting XI from Saturday's narrow victory over Leyton Orient, given the quick turnaround, with captain Greg Docherty likely to come back into the midfield from the outset, having returned to the bench last time out after missing their win against Exeter.
He should rejoin key man Conor Coventry in the engine room, while Luke Berry will continue in the centre of a supporting trio, with Alex Gilbert and Miles Leaburn hoping to earn starts in attack after Tyreece Campbell and Thierry Small flanked top scorer Matty Godden at the weekend.
Elsewhere, Ashley Maynard-Brewer was forced off with an injury in their defeat to Birmingham City in February, and Will Mannion will continue between the sticks in his absence, likely behind an unchanged back four of Kayne Ramsay, Lloyd Jones, Macaulay Gillesphey and Josh Edwards.
Barnsley will remain without defender Mael de Gevigney, who will serve the second instalment of a suspension for a red card shown in their victory over Northampton Town, while Fabio Jalo, Barry Cotter and first-choice goalkeeper Joe Gauci are set to remain sidelined by injuries.
Their ranks are boosted by the return of key midfielder Luca Connell from his own suspension, though, and he should rejoin Jon Russell and Adam Phillips in the engine room, while Stephen Humphrys will again get the nod up front alongside Davis Keillor-Dunn, who leads the squad with 14 goals this season.
In Gauci's continued absence, Jackson Smith will again deputise between the sticks, while Conor McCarthy will again join Marc Roberts and Josh Earl in a back three.
Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:
Mannion; Ramsay, Jones, Gillesphey, Edwards; Coventry, Docherty; Small, Berry, Gilbert; Godden
Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Smith; McCarthy, Roberts, Earl; Lembikisa, Phillips, Connell, Russell, Gent; Humphrys, Keillor-Dunn
We say: Charlton Athletic 2-1 Barnsley
Both sides have hit their strides in the League One playoff race, albeit with weekend victories having not been convincing for either.
We anticipate a tight contest between two teams boasting plenty of quality and would not be surprised to see the points shared, with the Addicks boasting a strong home record and only Birmingham City topping the visitors' tally of 31 points on the road.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
