Preview: Fleetwood Town vs. Charlton Athletic - prediction, team news, lineups

Nigel Adkins will be looking to collect a precious three points at the Highbury Stadium with his position as Charlton boss seemingly under threat.

Match preview

Fleetwood occupy 20th position in League One and are unbeaten in their last five league games, however that run of fixtures has only included one victory.

They enter Saturday's encounter on the back of three consecutive draws and the failure to convert those draws into victories is the reason they are languishing near the relegation zone.

The Cod Army's last encounter ended all square, despite Gerard Garner giving Fleetwood the lead against MK Dons on two occasions and in the end, Daniel Batty salvaged a point for Grayson's side by grabbing an equaliser in the 88th minute, which resulted in the encounter ending 3-3.

Garner has been important to Simon Grayson's side, scoring four goals for Fleetwood this season, which leaves him as the club's current top scorer this term.

Fleetwood are unbeaten in their last three home games in all competitions, which will give them confidence going into the Charlton clash.

Charlton's season has begun in disappointing fashion with The Addicks currently in 23rd place having only collected six points this term.

As a result, they are four points adrift of their opponents, who are the team just outside the relegation zone, which makes Saturday's encounter crucial for both sides.

It is also an important fixture for Charlton boss Adkins, whose position has come under intense scrutiny due to the fact his team have only managed one victory in League One this term.

The Addicks are in the midst of a five-game winless run and their most recent outing saw them suffer a devastating 4-1 defeat at home to Bolton Wanderers.

A win at the weekend for Charlton would close the gap to Fleetwood to just a point and it would also give Adkins's side their first away victory of the season.

Fleetwood Town League One form:

Fleetwood Town form (all competitions):

Charlton Athletic League One form:

Charlton Athletic form (all competitions):

Team News

Fleetwood are still without Darnell Johnson and Brad Halliday, who are long-term absentees.

After coming on and scoring on Tuesday, Grayson may bring Batty into the starting lineup, which could mean Harrison Biggins drops down to the bench.

Adkins could bring Alex Gilbey into the Charlton starting lineup, which could see Sean Clare miss out on a starting place.

The Addicks saw Akin Famewo return to the centre of defence midweek, but he may be replaced in the starting lineup by Jason Pearce.

Josh Davison has scored two goals in Charlton's last two matches, so the 22-year-old will partner Elliot Lee upfront once again against Fleetwood.

Fleetwood Town possible starting lineup:

Cairns; Johnson, Hill, Clarke, Andrew; Rossiter, Matete, Batty; Lane, Camps, Garner

Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:

MacGillivray; Matthews, Lavelle, Peace, Purrington; Blackett-Taylor, Gilbey, Watson, Leko; Lee, Davison

We say: Fleetwood Town 1-2 Charlton Athletic

With both teams only separated by four points, this will be a close contest and though they are low on confidence, we think this fixture could prove to be a turning point in Charlton's season and a win here could give The Addicks' season some much needed impetus.