Preview: Charlton Athletic vs Preston North End - prediction, team news, lineups

Charlton Athletic will look to end a four-game winless run when they welcome Preston North End to The Valley for Saturday's Championship contest.

Preston, meanwhile, will be aiming to record their first away victory since the beginning of January. 

Match preview

Charlton are sitting in 18th place in the Championship table after winning 12, drawing 13 and losing 16 of their 41 league matches.

Crucially, the Addicks are eight points clear of the drop zone with five matches left to play, leaving them on the brink of extending their Championship stay into a second consecutive season. 

However, Charlton still have some work to do to get over the finish line after mustering just two points from their last two matches.

They followed a draw against Oxford United with back-to-back home defeats to Norwich City and Bristol City, before playing out a 1-1 draw in Monday's away meeting with Watford.

Nathan Jones's side will now return to The Valley, where they have lost four of their last five Championship outings (W1).

Their poor home form suggests they have their work cut out to beat Preston for the first time since running out 5-2 winners in November 2011. 

© Imago / Focus Images

Meanwhile, the summer break can not come soon enough for a Preston side that have won just one of their previous 10 matches (D4, L5).

They have at least managed to avoid defeat in their last three games (W1, D2), although they will be frustrated that they have spurned winning positions in their last two matches. 

PNE let a 2-1 lead slip in a 2-2 draw with Leicester City, before they had to settle for a 1-1 draw in Monday's home clash against Queens Park Rangers after Brad Potts saw his effort cancelled out by Thierry Small's unfortunate own goal.

After taking their tally to 54 points from 41 games, Preston are sitting in 14th place in the standings, with the chance to secure a top-half finish their only real source of motivation in the final five matches.

That said, Paul Heckingbottom's charges will be keen to end their wait for an away victory this weekend, having failed to win any of their last seven road trips since beating Bristol City 2-0 on January 4. 

They may fancy their chances of leaving The Valley with maximum points, considering the fact they have won each of their last six meetings with Charlton, including a 2-0 success in October's reverse fixture. 

Charlton Athletic Championship form:

Preston North End Championship form:

Team News

© Imago / IMAGO / Focus Images

Charlton defender Conor Coady was stretchered off and taken to hospital after suffering a head injury in Monday’s draw with Watford.

While he has since been discharged from hospital, the 33-year-old is expected to miss Saturday’s fixture as he continues to be monitored under the relevant protocols.

The Addicks are also without the services of Collins Sichenje, Reece Burke and Josh Edwards due to injury.

As for Preston, they are unable to call upon the injured duo of Jamal Lewis and Callum Lang, while there are also doubts surrounding the availability of Robbie Bradu and Ali McCann.

Midfielder Jordan Thompson could come into the starting lineup after completing a three-match ban. 

Wing-back Pol Valentin is also in contention to start after featuring as a half-time substitute in the draw with Queens Park Rangers.

Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:

Mannion; Ramsay, Jones, Bell; Clarke, Coventry, Docherty, Chambers; Carey, Campbell; Dykes

Preston North End possible starting lineup:

Iversen; Valentin, Storey, Gibson, Hughes, Vuckevic; Devine, Whiteman, Thompson; Osmajic, Dobbin

We say: Charlton Athletic 1-2 Preston North End

Preston boast an impressive head-to-head record in recent meetings with Charlton, and we think they will enjoy more success against a team that have lost four of their last five home matches. 

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