Crawley Town will be aiming to build on their decent start to the campaign when they host Charlton Athletic in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday.

The visitors, meanwhile, returned to winning ways by beating Fleetwood Town 2-1 at the weekend.

Match preview

Crawley were tipped by many pundits as the most likely team to be relegated from League Two this season, and while that prediction could still end up becoming true, their manager Scott Lindsey will be content with the start which his side has made to the campaign.

The Red Devils came from two goals behind to claim a point away to Stockport County at the weekend, although they may have been disappointed not to return to West Sussex with all three points given that Isaac Olaofe rescued a point for the hosts with only one minute of normal time remaining on the clock.

Still, collecting eight points from six matches represents a solid return for a side that would surely settle for avoiding relegation this season, having only survived by one position and three points last time out.

Crawley narrowly missed out on progressing from the group stage in this competition last season, with one win and one draw from three games not quite enough for them to finish in the top two positions, so Lindsey will be targeting an improvement in that regard.

Like their forthcoming opponents, plenty of turbulence off the pitch in terms of their ownership has undoubtedly had a negative impact on Charlton's results on the pitch in recent years, as well as the general mood around the fanbase.

Dean Holden's reign came to an end last week after leading his side to four successive defeats in League One, with caretaker boss Jason Pearce laying down a marker to replace Holden permanently by guiding the Addicks to a 2-1 win against Fleetwood.

Alfie May's brace helped his side come from behind after their former striker Jayden Stockley had provided Fleetwood with an early lead at The Valley, with Charlton moving four points clear of the relegation zone as a result of their win, although they will hope to continue their charge up the table across the coming weeks and months.

They were defeated 3-2 by Plymouth Argyle in the first knockout round of this competition last season, so having never won this competition in the club's history, they will be hoping for a stronger run this time around.

Team News

After being involved in a topsy-turvy encounter against Stockport on Saturday, Lindsey will almost certainly have his eyes on making plenty of changes for this match ahead of Crawley hosting Newport County in the league on Saturday.

Klaidi Lolos could be handed an opportunity to impress in attack after coming off the bench last time out, while Luca Ashby-Hammond may be trusted between the posts.

Charlton, on the other hand, do not have a league fixture on the horizon as their match against Wigan Athletic has been postponed, meaning Pearce may feel encouraged to go stronger than usual in this competition.

However, May is unlikely to be risked with his goals set to prove crucial for any aspirations the Addicks have in terms of mounting a playoff challenge, with former Arsenal striker Chuks Aneke potentially set to be thrown in from the cold.

Crawley Town possible starting lineup:
Ashby-Hammond; Wright, Williams, Mukena, Maguire; Darcy, Roles, Henry, Khaleel; Campbell, Lolos

Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:
Maynard-Brewer; Asiimwe, Thomas, Ness, Edun; Taylor, Dobson, Kirk; Kanu, Leaburn, Aneke

We say: Crawley Town 1-2 Charlton Athletic

After finally ending their five-game losing streak in all competitions at the weekend, Charlton will feel confident of claiming all three points against their League Two opponents on Tuesday.

Crawley have performed above expectations so far this season and will be no pushovers with Lindsey at the helm, but should they find themselves behind at some stage during the match, they may divert their main focus to their upcoming league fixture.


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