12.15pm Kick Off
Live on Sky Sports One
After five games, Charlton stay unbeaten. Last season the Addicks went 27 games without a win, how long can we remain unbeaten for this season?
West London’s Brentford will be hoping to be the team to inflict the first wound into the Charlton armour when they visit The Valley for Saturday’s lunchtime kick off which is live on Sky.
Historically, form favours the Addicks, but as we all know, in football, history counts for very little. This season however, Brentford have taken to League One football like a duck to the water, currently sitting in 6th place with 9 points, the team affectionately known as the Bees are also unbeaten, winning two and drawing three of their opening five games.
Starting the season with a convincing 3 – 1 victory over Carlisle, Brentford went on to draw at home against Brighton and Hove Albion before recording a narrow 2 – 1 win over Norwich City and drawing their next two games against Southampton and Oldham. They have scored seven goals and conceded four and by all accounts, should provide Phil Parkinson’s men with their toughest challenge of League One so far.
In terms of team news Frazer Richardson is facing a race to be fit for Saturday’s fixture as he has missed training this week with a hamstring complaint, if he is unable to compete, it’s widely expected that Chris Solly will step into the fray. Phil Parkinson is however expected to name an unchanged starting eleven.
On the bench is where the Addicks can expect to see change, the deadline day departures of Yassin Moutaouakil and Stuart Fleetwood saw Phil Parkinson bring in three new faces, centre forward Leon McKenzie, left winger Luke Holden and centre back Sam Sodje. Sodje is still a few weeks short of match fitness so is unlikely to appear however it is expected that both Holden and McKenzie will feature on the Charlton bench.
With that in mind my predicted team to play Brentford is:
GK: Rob Elliott
LB: Kelly Youga
CB: Christian Dailly
CB: Miguel Llera
RB: Frazer Richardson
LM: Nicky Bailey (c)
CM: Jose Semedo
CM: Therry Racon
RM: Lloyd Sam
SS: Jonjo Shelvey
CF: Deon Burton
Subs: Darren Randolph, Chris Solly, Matt Spring, Scott Wagstaff, Luke Holden, Izale McLeod, Leon McKenzie
Come on you Addicks!