Charlton’s journey in the Checkatrade Trophy continues with a third-round clash against Oxford United at The Valley on Tuesday evening.
A place in the quarter-finals of the competition is at stake and a winner will be decided on the evening with the game going straight to penalties after 90 minutes in the event of a draw.
And with the two teams now just three steps from a day out at Wembley, it should make for a more compelling cup tie than what has been on offer in previous rounds.
The Addicks booked their place in the third round with a 3-2 victory over Swansea City U21s last time out, while the U’s earned their place thanks to a 2-1 win at Gillingham.
During the group stages, Charlton beat Crawley Town away and Fulham U21s at home, but lost to Portsmouth in SE7 which secured a second-place finish in Southern Section Group A, while Oxford beat Stevenage, but were defeated by Brighton & Hove Albion (on penalties) and Milton Keynes Dons as they finished runners-up in Group G.
11 of the 14 players who helped the Addicks to victory at Swansea in round two were products of the club’s academy and Karl Robinson could well continue his faith in his youngsters, giving opportunity to the likes of Reeco Hackett-Fairchild, who bagged a brace in at the Liberty Stadium.
Robinson will, however, continue to be without Leon Best, Jake Forster-Caskey, Tariqe Fosu, Chris Solly, Billy Clarke, Jason Pearce and Naby Sarr who are sidelined with injury.
Oxford, meanwhile, will be without goalkeeper Simon Eastwood who is ruled out with inflammation of the shoulder and captain John Mosuinho who limped out of Saturday’s win over Blackpool.
New arrival Rob Dickie is cup-tied, but Ricardinho is available as his three-match ban only covers league fixtures.
Charlton have met Oxford on seven occasions in cup competitions, most recently in the FA Cup in 2014 when the Addicks claimed a replay victory having shared a draw at The Valley.
The five other cup ties came in the League Cup, against most recently during the 2013/14 season in which Charlton claimed a 4-0 win in SE7.
In total, the seven cup games have yielded three Addicks victories, four draws and no wins for Oxford.
Earlier this season, the sides shared a 1-1 draw at the Kassam Stadium in Sky Bet League One and Charlton have now met Oxford a total of 40 times in league and cup competition – The Addicks winning 17 and the U’s eight, while the other 15 games have resulted in draws.
Andy Haines will be the man in the middle at The Valley on Tuesday evening.
The referee has taken charge of 25 games so far this season in which he has produced 78 yellow cards and four reds.
He last took charge of the Addicks during August’s Carabao Cup defeat at Norwich City.
Supporters can follow all the build-up to the game on Charlton's official Instagram account, official Twitter 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.
The lower tier of the West Stand will be open for Charlton’s Checkatrade Trophy last-16 tie against Oxford United. Tickets are priced at:
Adults: £10
Over 65s: £5
U21s: £5
Adult + an U18: £11
Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here.
A special fold-out poster will be available in and around the ground, as well as in the club shop, for just £1.50 on Tuesday evening.
The programme includes Karl Robinson’s latest thoughts as he reflects on Saturday’s victory and how he will approach the Checkatrade Trophy, while also sharing his thoughts on the club’s ongoing takeover.
There is also an interview with Stephy Mavididi following his match-winning goal against Oldham Athletic and there is a breakdown of the story of both Charlton and Oxford’s Checkatrade Trophy journey so far.