Preview: Charlton Athletic vs. Bristol Rovers - prediction, team news, lineups

The hosts sit 18th in the League One table following back-to-back defeats, while their visitors have won two of their last three matches and climbed to 12th spot as a result.

Match preview

Charlton Athletic have experienced a concerning first half to the season on the whole, having managed just five wins and 24 points from their opening 20 League One outings.

After an eight-game run without a victory, the Addicks did look to have turned a corner with three consecutive three-point hauls in October, but they have failed to add another notch to that wins column in five attempts since, dropping deep into the bottom half of the table as a result.

They did come from behind twice to pick up back-to-back draws against Ipswich Town and Burton Albion, with the former finishing 4-4 after two Charlton goals in injury time, but the London side have since suffered 1-0 defeats in their last two league matches, most recently falling at home to Cheltenham Town at the beginning of December, with Alfie May's 84th-minute finish seeing the Robins leave The Valley with all three points.

With last weekend's trip to Morecambe postponed, the Addicks' last competitive action came the previous week away at fourth-tier Stockport County in a replay of their FA Cup second-round tie, after a 2-2 draw at home, and they would suffer another damning defeat, eventually losing 3-1 despite going ahead early on through an own goal, as Will Collar netted a hat-trick to fire the League Two side to an upset victory.

Such a result spelled the end of Ben Garner's tenure as manager, and now under the temporary charge of Anthony Hayes, Charlton are tasked with quickly turning their form around and climbing the table after the poor first half which has seen them occupy 18th spot.

They face a tough test though, with the visitors having climbed into the top half recently following their promotion from League Two last term.

The Gas come into Saturday's trip with plenty of confidence, having only lost one of their last 11 matches in England's third tier, picking up an impressive tally of 20 points in that time.

That singular defeat came away at Derby County at the end of October, and after draws with Fleetwood Town and Bolton Wanderers, either side of a victory over Peterborough United, Joey Barton's men secured another three-point haul in their latest league outing last weekend, beating Port Vale 1-0 on home turf with Aaron Collins's 87th-minute goal making the difference.

Now on the back of a 4-1 thrashing of MK Dons in the EFL Trophy third round on Tuesday, in which John Marquis netted a brace alongside goals from Luca Hoole and Harvey Saunders, Bristol Rovers will look to continue their impressive run of form and cut the three-point gap to the playoff spots with another triumph at the weekend.

Charlton Athletic League One form:

W

L

D

D

L

L

Charlton Athletic form (all competitions):

D

L

L

D

L

L

Bristol Rovers League One form:

D

L

D

W

D

W

Bristol Rovers form (all competitions):

W

W

L

D

W

W

Team News

Charlton Athletic goalkeeper Joe Wollacott remains out of action through injury, meaning Craig MacGillivray will continue to deputise between the sticks, while attacker Miles Leaburn is also sidelined.

Jack Payne and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi are the only players in the squad to match Leaburn's tally of five goals so far this season, and they could both play important roles in attack from the outset, while Charlie Kirk is also fighting for a starting berth as is front man Chuks Aneke.

George Dobson will likely come back into the engine room alongside either Jake Forster-Caskey or Albie Morgan, while Sam Lavelle will play at the heart of the defence, with the Addicks expected to line up in a 3-4-3 shape under the caretaker manager.

Bristol Rovers' line will be led by Aaron Collins, who netted his 11th league goal of the season in the win over Port Vale last weekend, while competition for the other spot is rife.

Josh Coburn has netted five goals in 15 appearances since his summer arrival on loan from Middlesbrough, while John Marquis staked his claim for a starting spot with a brace in their EFL Trophy triumph last time out.

Captain Paul Coutts will likely be joined by Jordan Rossiter in midfield, while defender Alfie Kilgour will be available for selection despite his red card on Tuesday, with the suspension instead carrying over to the next EFL Trophy tie, although Barton may instead stick with a back three of Luca Hoole, Bobby Thomas and James Connolly from the outset.

Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:

MacGillivray; Clare, Lavelle, Mitchell; Chin, Dobson, Morgan, Campbell; Payne, Aneke, Rak-Sakyi

Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:

Belshaw; Hoole, Thomas, Connolly; Sinclair, Rossiter, Coutts, Gordon; Evans; Marquis, Collins

We say: Charlton Athletic 1-1 Bristol Rovers

Previews by email