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

Gillingham are currently in seventh place in League Two after 20 matches, while the visitors are 10th in the League One standings and carrying excellent momentum into this encounter.

Match preview

Stephen Clemence's side showed tremendous resilience in their last match, albeit in unusual circumstances, as they overcame AFC Wimbledon to move back into the promotion playoff spots.

The match was delayed by over 20 minutes due to a floodlight failure at this venue in the second half before Conor Masterson headed home the winner five minutes before the end of regulation time.

The Gills have had a mixed season up to this point, recording 10 wins, nine losses and a draw in the league, though they have lost three of their last five since beating Hereford 2-0 in round one of this competition.

In terms of FA Cup history, only Northampton Town (31) and Hartlepool (30) have been knocked out in the second round more times than the Gills (29), though they have got past this hurdle in three of their last four attempts.

This marks the third meeting between these famous clubs in the FA Cup, and they are tied at one apiece, with the first ending in favour of Charlton way back in 1933-34, while the most recent went the way of Gillingham in the 2003-04 season.

Charlton are currently in the exact position that they finished last season in League One, but they do have two games in hand on Lincoln City and Blackpool, who are directly above them in the standings.

The Addicks earned a 2-1 win against Cheltenham Town in midweek, with Alfie May scoring a brace from the penalty spot to extend his side's recent run of results to seven matches without defeat in all competitions.

During that time, the visitors had a scary moment when they drew 1-1 at home to Cray Valley Paper Mills in the first round of this competition, but they made no such mistake in the replay when they smashed in six at Badgers Sports Ground, marking the first time in history that they had scored half a dozen in an away FA Cup match.

Charlton are unbeaten in their last four matches against Gillingham and have won three in a row ahead of this one, with the most recent victory coming in a pre-season friendly back in mid-July.

Gillingham FA Cup form:

W

Gillingham form (all competitions):

W

L

L

W

L

W

Charlton Athletic FA Cup form:

D

W

Charlton Athletic form (all competitions):

D

D

W

W

D

W

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Team News

After over a month out with an ankle injury, Gillingham welcomed striker Ashley Nadesan back to the squad in midweek, but as he eases back into action, Tom Nichols should continue to lead the line from the start in this match.

Shaun Williams has been carrying a knee injury and was left out against Wimbledon, while George Lapslie started on the bench but has been flagged with a hamstring issue.

For Charlton, Terry Taylor is set to miss the remainder of this year with an ankle injury, and he will be joined on the treatment table by Panutche Camara, who is suffering from a torn muscle.

Corey Blackett-Taylor has found some form of late with two goals in his last three outings and should retain his place in the front three alongside Miles Leaburn and Alfie May.

Gillingham possible starting lineup:

Turner; Alexander, Masterson, Ogie, Malone; Coleman, Dieng, Williams, Lapslie, Mahoney; Nichols

Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:

Maynard-Brewer; Watson, Hector, Jones, Edun; McGrandles, Dobson, Fraser; Blackett-Taylor, Leaburn, May

We say: Gillingham 1-2 Charlton Athletic

Charlton have found good rhythm over the last month and are carrying all the momentum coming into this match. They have been the superior side in this encounter in recent times as well, and we fancy they will be the ones to progress to round three in this competition.

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