Charlton Athletic will be aiming to move back into the top half of League One's table by beating Accrington Stanley on Saturday.

The visitors, meanwhile, require a win to be certain of remaining outside of the relegation zone.

Match preview

Having missed out on reaching the playoffs in each of their last two seasons, Charlton were hoping to secure a top-six finish after poaching Ben Garner from Swindon Town as their manager during the summer.

However, the 42-year-old only lasted until December before being sacked by the club's unpopular owner Thomas Sandgaard, who chose Dean Holden as the successor in the dugout a few weeks later.

The former Bristol City boss has not made the impact which he would have hoped for, though, losing half of his 14 matches in charge so far. His side's 2-0 defeat away to Plymouth Argyle means that they have now collected only one point from their last four matches.

However, all four of those opponents currently occupy top eight positions, compared to their next three who are all within the bottom five places ahead of this weekend's action.

The Addicks are not completely safe themselves yet, but victory against Accrington on Saturday would take them 10 points clear of their opponents in the table, which would all but ensure that matters on the pitch are secured for another season.

Accrington, meanwhile, are at risk of falling back down to the fourth tier for the first time since the club's first ever promotion from League Two in 2018.

John Coleman's side have massively punched above their weight in recent seasons, comfortably surviving relegation in their first two campaigns at this level before securing successive top-half finishes.

However, their 3-0 defeat away to automatic promotion contenders Ipswich Town on Tuesday has left them only one points clear of the relegation zone, although Coleman's side do possess two games in hand on each of the four teams below them in the table.

As such, the 60-year-old will feel confident that his team's experience, grit and stability will help them get over the line between now and the end of the season, with Saturday's trip to South London a massive opportunity to lay down a marker and move one step closer to safety.

Team News

Charlton are set to remain without Todd Kane due to a hamstring injury, but goalkeeper Joe Wollacott has returned from a fractured finger to feature in recent matchday squads.

Scott Fraser missed out against Plymouth due to a knock but the former Ipswich midfielder should be fit to return to the starting XI, with Holden potentially dropping Gavin Kilkenny to the bench as he searches for more goal threat.

Accrington, meanwhile, will travel without Joe Pritchard due to an Achilles tendon rupture, while goalkeeper Lukas Jensen is suspended after being sent off during injury time at Portman Road on Tuesday.

Liam Isherwood is set to deputise between the posts, with Coleman unlikely to be able to name a full matchday squad with Sean McConville missing in recent weeks due to an ankle injury.

Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:
Maynard-Brewer; Ness, Inniss, Hector; Clare, Fraser, Dobson, Sessegnon; Rak-Sakyi, Payne; Bonne

Accrington Stanley possible starting lineup:
Isherwood; Fernandes, Rodgers, Sangare; Martin, Conneely, Longelo; Clark, Gomez Mancini, Quirk; Pressley

We say: Charlton Athletic 2-1 Accrington Stanley

Having had an unforgiving fixture schedule in recent weeks, Charlton will fancy their chances of returning to winning ways against inferior opposition on Saturday.

Accrington have had plenty of injury and suspension issues in recent weeks, with the red card shown to their first-choice goalkeeper in midweek another blow to add to the list. They will fight hard as always under Coleman, but may fall short in the end.

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