MATCH PREVIEW | Southend United v Charlton

Charlton will make the relatively short trip to Roots Hall on Boxing Day to take on Southend United (1pm).

Just 40 miles separate The Valley and the home of the Shrimpers and Karl Robinson’s men are set to be backed by plenty of vocal Addicks, as they look to get their form back on track.

A late equaliser deprived them of three points against Blackpool in SE7 on Saturday and the injury-hit squad will hope to go one better in Essex.

Southend, who sit 13th in the Sky Bet League One table, were beaten 3-1 at Scunthorpe United on Saturday. 

Charlton will remain without a number of first-team regulars. Leon Best picked up a hamstring problem on Saturday and joins an already lengthy injury list. Jake Forster-Caskey, Tariqe Fosu, Patrick Bauer, Chris Solly, Billy Clarke, Jason Pearce and Lewis Page are all sidelined. 

Ricky Holmes has an outside chance of making his return. 

For Southend, goalkeeper Mark Oxley is a doubt with a back injury. Ryan Leonard could return after serving a one-match suspension but fellow midfielder Michael Timlin is out with an ankle injury. 

Charlton and Southend United have faced each other 45 times in the past. The Addicks have come out on top on 26 occasions, while there have also been 10 draws and nine wins for the Shrimpers.

The two clubs met at The Valley in September. Josh Magennis and Ricky Holmes scored second-half goals as Karl Robinson’s men took the points in south-east London.  

Graham Horwood will officiate the Boxing Day clash at Roots Hall.

So far this season, he has overseen 18 games where he has brandished 59 yellow cards and one red. 

He last took charge of Charlton in December 2015 for the Addicks’ 2-2 draw with Bolton Wanderers at The Valley.

He will be supported by linesmen Daniel Cook and Marc Wilson and fourth official Paul Kelly.

Supporters can follow all the build-up to the game on Charlton's official Twitter account, official Instagram account, Facebook page and official Snapchat account.

Live commentary of the clash will be available on Valley Pass exclusively for subscribers. Please click here for more information on how you can subscribe to Valley Pass and how you can purchase a 48-hour matchday pass, which is priced at just £4.

1,200 seats were purchased in advance for the trip to Roots Hall and tickets will also be on sale on the day.

They will be subject to a £3 increase, meaning that they will be priced at:

Adults: £25

Over 60s: £18

Students: £17

U23s: £17

U17s: £13

U9s: £7

Read Time: 3 mins