New Watford manager Oscar Garcia will take charge of his first game in charge of the club when they travel to The Valley to face Charlton Athletic this Saturday.

The former Brighton & Hove Albion boss, who took the Seagulls to the playoffs last season before surprisingly resigning following their semi-final exit, was appointed last week as Watford's fine start to the season took an unexpected twist.

Having led the club to second in the early Championship table, Giuseppe Sannino bizarrely stepped down as manager of the Hornets amid reports of player unrest.

The timing of his departure was certainly peculiar, but Garcia has inherited a squad full of confidence and with realistic ambitions of pushing for the playoffs and beyond this season.

They certainly seem to have the firepower to achieve those lofty ambitions this season, having netted eight times in their last two games and a league-high 13 in the Championship so far.

The likes of Troy Deeney, Matej Vydra and Fernando Forestieri provide strong competition up front, while they also have the potential of goalscoring contributions throughout the side.

Almen Abdi netted a brace in the 4-2 victory over Huddersfield Town last time out, while Ikechi Anya is likely to return to Vicarage Road full of confidence following his goal against Germany for Scotland.

It is unlikely that the new manager will make too many changes to the team that beat Huddersfield, although he will be without the suspended Gabriel Tamas in defence.

Charlton are enjoying life under a new boss of their own at the moment, with Bob Peeters hitting the ground running in English football.

The Addicks went into the campaign expecting to struggle, but nine points from their opening five matches has left them in the playoff positions at this early stage of the season.

They are just one of two undefeated sides remaining in the division, although their form has just begun to stutter a little of late, with no wins in their last three in all competitions.

Peeters will be looking forward to getting his side back to The Valley, however, as Charlton have a 100% record there so far this season, scoring nine goals in three games and beating the likes of Wigan Athletic and Derby County in the process.

Their good form has been largely down to Igor Vetokele, who took his tally to five goals in five matches for his new club with a brace against Brighton & Hove Albion last time out.

The striker was rewarded with the Championship Player of the Month award for his efforts, and he will once again start up front this weekend in what could be an unchanged lineup.

Recent form

Charlton: WWWDLD

Watford: WLWWLW

Possible starting lineups

Charlton: Henderson; Solly, Ben Haim, Bikey, Wiggins; Gudmundsson, Buyens, Jackson, Cousins; Vetokele, Tucudean

Watford: Gomes; Ekstrand, Angella, Hoban; Pudil, Abdi, Andrews, Tozser, Anya; Deeney, Forestieri

Sports Mole says: 1-2