Nothing separates Charlton Athletic and Cardiff City in the Championship table going into their Boxing Day clash at The Valley on Friday.

The two sides are level on both points and goal difference, and Charlton would have been the happier of the two clubs if they were given that scenario before the campaign.

However, despite spending the first half of the season in the top half of the table, there are signs of a slump for the Addicks, who have now gone five matches without a victory.

No fewer than 12 of their 22 outings have ended all square, but they were unable to come away with a point on Saturday as Blackburn Rovers condemned them to just their fourth defeat of the season.

Still, having been embroiled in a relegation battle throughout last season, Charlton fans will be content with where they sit now, 11 points clear of the bottom three and just eight away from the playoffs.

Home form has been a major factor behind their improved performance this time around, with only high-flying Ipswich Town leaving The Valley with a victory so far this season.

However, draws have been accountable for a lot of dropped points at home, and Charlton have now won just one of their last eight in front of their own fans.

Morgan Fox was forced off after just half an hour against Blackburn and could miss this match, while Joe Pigott is pushing for a start having come off the bench at half time.

Cardiff, meanwhile, will be looking to get their playoff push back on track following consecutive defeats and three games without a win.

There has certainly been no shortage of entertainment for the club's fans recently, with the 5-3 defeat to Bournemouth being followed by a 3-2 loss to Brentford in which the Bluebirds almost fought back from three goals down last week.

That defeat not only left them eight points adrift of the top six, but also saw Russell Slade lose his unbeaten home record as manager of the club.

He has only won once away from home too, while Cardiff as a club have won just three and lost 17 of their 28 away games on Boxing Day, with their last victory coming 20 years ago against Shrewsbury Town.

Slade could be tempted into making a change up front this week after Kenwyne Jones scored from the bench against Brentford, with Federico Macheda the man most likely to make way.

Charlton:

Recent form: WDLDDL

Possible starting lineup: Pope; Gomez, Ben Haim, Bikey, Wilson; Solly, Buyens, Gudmundsson, Cousins; Vetokele, Harriott

Cardiff:

Recent form: DWWDLL

Possible starting lineup: Marshall; Brayford, Ecuele Manga, Turner, Fabio; Harris, Gunnarsson, Whittingham, Noone; Le Fondre, Jones

Sports Mole says: 1-1