Two teams with opposing objectives in League One will come together on Tuesday night as playoff hopefuls Charlton Athletic host relegation battling Peterborough United at The Valley.
The hosts occupy the final playoff spot in sixth place with 47 points from 29 matches, while the visitors sit four points above the drop zone in 20th place.
Match preview
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Charlton Athletic suffered relegation from the Championship in 2019-20, and after narrowly missing out on the League One playoffs in 2020-21 - finishing outside the top six on goal difference - the Addicks have since slipped down the table in the following years.
Charlton finished 13th in 2021-22, climbed to 10th in 2022-23 and then endured a disappointing fall down the standings with a 16th-placed finish in 2023-24.
However, the Addicks are back in the fight for a top-six finish this campaign, currently sitting sixth in the table with 47 points from 29 matches, after 13 wins, eight draws and eight defeats.
Nathan Jones's men are joint on points with seventh-placed Bolton Wanderers, above them only on goal difference, but with the Addicks boasting a game in hand on several of the sides around them, they will be looking to capitalize on that by securing all three points here.
Charlton will be confident of recording the victory, with them not only playing at home - where they have taken 29 points from 15 games this term - but also facing a Peterborough Utd side that are battling against the drop.
The Posh have experienced a miserable 2024-25 season thus far, suffering an extreme drop down the table compared to finishing in the League One playoff places in the last two years.
Peterborough are just one place above the drop zone in 20th place, having amassed just 30 points from their 29 League One fixtures, after eight wins, six draws and 15 defeats.
Darren Ferguson's men were initially on course for another playoff race after a strong start to the campaign, but a dismal run of just two wins in their last 14 league outings has seen them slide down the standings.
After defeating Cheltenham Town 3-2 in their most recent match, in the EFL Trophy quarter-finals, Ferguson will be hoping his side can build on that result with a desperately needed three points to begin their march away from the drop zone.
The Posh will draw confidence from their record against Charlton in the past years, avoiding defeat against the Addicks in their last 12 meetings across all competitions, with eight wins and four draws.
Team News
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Tennai Watson will remain sidelined for Charlton Athletic due to an injury that has kept him out of action since October, but he is expected to be the only absence due to injury.
Charlton's top scorer in the league, Matt Godden, has been in amazing form over the past weeks, scoring in each of his last three appearances, and the striker is expected to lead the line here.
Elsewhere, given their recent unbeaten run of five consecutive outings, with four wins and one draw, Jones is likely to name a similar starting team here.
As for Peterborough, Jed Steer returned from injury for their last game and is expected to start here, but Rio Adebisi and key attacker Kwame Poku will remain sidelined.
Abraham Odoh is also a doubt for the Posh after coming off with an injury concern in that victory over Cheltenham Town, meaning Malik Mothersille may start in attack.
Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:
Brewer; Ramsay, Jones, Gillesphey, Edwards; Coventry, Docherty; Small, Berry, Campbell; Godden
Peterborough United possible starting lineup:
Bilokapic; Johnston, Hughes, Nevett, Edun; Susoho, Collins; Mothersille, Conn-Clarke, Jones; Lindgren
We say: Charlton Athletic 2-1 Peterborough United
Charlton are strong favourites given the contrast in the two teams' league standings, and with the Addicks also boasting the home advantage, we believe the hosts will secure the win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
