MATCH PREVIEW | Charlton v Derby County

Charlton will be looking to return to action with a win when they take on Derby County at The Valley on Saturday afternoon (3pm).

A hard-fought 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage wrapped up proceedings before the international break and, with the Addicks returning with no new injury concerns, Lee Bowyer will be hoping to pick up more points as last year's Championship play-off runners up visit the capital.

After a somewhat slow start, Phillip Cocu's men have picked up in recent weeks and come to The Valley five games unbeaten, sitting in 13th position.

The Addicks have no fresh injury concerns from the international break, a welcome relief to Bowyer who is still without Lyle Taylor, who picked up an injury in the previous round of international fixtures. .

Ben Purrington was back in training this week and is expected to be in contention for the weekend.

George Lapslie could return to the fold, having been close to fitness before the break, while Boywer also explained that Beram Kayal and Tomer Hemed are also back in training.

Long-term injury, Lewis Page, has also shown signs of improvement in his recovery having suffered yet another injury blow during pre-season.

For Derby County, former Addick, Krystian Bielik, was set to miss out after picking up an injury warming up against Latvia during international duty with Poland but has recovered faster than initially expected and could be available for selection.

Jayden Bogle and Jack Marriott were also expected to miss the game but have been back in training and should be available for Cocu should he call upon them.

Charlton boss Lee Bowyer: "I have a great bunch that love going out and training every day. They work hard and and they get rewards for it, they know that.

"They're like little kids that have had their toys taken away from them! They've been without games and they just want to play so they're really looking forward to this weekend."

Derby boss Phillip Cocu: “It will be difficult. We are in a much better moment than we were a month ago, but every game is a battle and the differences between teams [in this league] are not so big.”

Charlton and Derby have locked horns 85 times with Charlton coming out victorious on 29 occasions, drawing 20 and being overcome by the Rams 36 times.

The last time the Addicks faced Derby was back in April 2016 when they slipped to a narrow 1-0 defeat at The Valley.

This week on Valley Pass, we look back to 2014 when the Addicks ran out 3-2 winners in a thrilling game at The Valley. with George Tucudean opening the scoring for Charlton before Jamie Ward pulled Derby level. Yoni Buyens put the Addicks back in front from the spot before Igor Vetokele's header ensured Jamie Ward's second goal of the game was merely a consolation for the visitors.

Stephen Martin will be the man with the whistle on Saturday. Those with a keen eye will remember him as the fourth official during the Addicks 1-0 win over Leeds United last month.

As a referee, he has officiated nine games this season, handing out 17 yellow cards. He will be joined by assistants Andrew Fox and Ian Cooper with Adam Crysell being the Fourth Official.

Supporters can purchase their ticket for Saturday afternoon's match in advance by clicking on the graphic below.

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 are advised to get to the ground early to avoid queuing to get into the ground. Supporters are also asked to not bring bags, if possible, to help speed up the bag search process.

A 'print at home' option is available, or tickets can be scanned from mobile devices. Tickets are available from the stadium on the day, but supporters should note that a £3 increase on adult, over 65s and U21 tickets kick in 2 hours before kick off

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