MATCH PREVIEW | Charlton v Birmingham City

Take an in-depth look ahead to the Addicks' fixture against Birmingham City on Saturday (3pm)...

Charlton will take on the Blues at The Valley on Saturday afternoon in what marks the 100th anniversary of the famous ground.

The Addicks will be hoping to cap off the celebrations by continuing their unbeaten start to the season which sees them sit in second place in the Championship.

Meanwhile Birmingham, who finished 17th in the Championship last season having been handed a points deduction, will be looking for their first back-to-back victories this season having had a mixed start to the campaign.

They come to south London off the back of a 2-1 home victory against Stoke City, however, and caretaker boss, Pep Clotet, will be hoping to build on that performance. Furthermore, Clotet will undoubtedly be hoping for more of the same from the young Jude Bellingham who became the clubs youngest player and goalscorer last month when he netted what turned out to be the winner against the Potters.

Deji Oshilaja is expected to be in contention for the game against the Blues having returned to training this week from his knock picked up against Brentford last month.

Beram Kayal picked up some game time for Israel this week, but it remains to be seen whether he possess the sharpness that Bowyer wants for the game. Saturday's game will come too soon for Adam Matthews, however, despite playing 90 minutes for the U23s on Monday.

Lyle Taylor is Charlton's only real concern. The striker returned from international duty with Montserrat with a knock which has seen him wearing a precautionary protective brace.

For Birmingham, Jacques Maghoma looks to return to full training next week having been struggling with a persistent, calf injury, and so the trip to Charlton could prove too soon for the winger.

The visitors will also be without fellow winger Jefferson Montero after the Ecuadorian was forced off half an hour into their game against Stoke.

Charlton boss Lee Bowyer:

“We have to be patient. We’re going to have a lot of possession and we’ve got to move the ball quickly because if we don’t we’ll just play into their hands. If we do the right things, like we have done so far this season, then it’ll be an interesting game."

Birmingham City Caretaker boss Pep Clotet:

"Charlton are a very physical team, they have a lot of mobility and confidence up top, they are a strong team, they have scored a lot of goals at home - full backs are quick going forward, it will be a test for us."

The Addicks have taken on Birmingham 64 times running out as the victors 24 times and drawing 20 times.

Charlton's last game against the Blues was back in April 2016. The match saw Jorge Texeira score at the death to make it 2-1 to the Addicks after Jon Toral's goal had been cancelled out by a fierce Johann Berg Gudmundsson strike.

Matthew Donohue will take charge of his second Charlton game of the season, having overseen the Addicks match at Oakwell against Barnsley in August.

Donohue has officiated six games this season, dishing out 27 yellow cards and awarding one penalty, which Lyle Taylor coolly dispatched late on against the Tykes.

He will be joined by assistants Adrian Waters and Ian Cooper and fourth official Matt Foley

A healthy crowd is expected to be at The Valley on Saturday afternoon as we celebrate 100 years of our famous home. Join the celebrations and buy your tickets by clicking on the graphic below. To purchase tickets, supporters must have been registered on the Charlton ticketing database by Friday, September 6th.

Birmingham tickets.jpg

Supporters purchasing concession tickets should be aware that ID checks will be in place for those who may appear close to, or outside, the relevant age groups. Appropriate identification includes a driving license, passport or any other photographic ID that shows date of birth. The club will also accept a copy/photograph of these documents provided the date of birth is clearly legible.

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

Live commentary of the clash - presented by ITRM - 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.

Supporters who live abroad will be able to watch live coverage of the match on Valley Pass for a one-off price of £5 or £110 for the season.

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