CARABAO CUP PREVIEW | Swindon Town v Charlton

Charlton's final preparation before the start of the 2020/21 league season comes in the form of a first-round Carabao Cup tie against Swindon Town at the County Ground on Saturday afternoon (3pm).

Following Tuesday's EFL Trophy tie with AFC Wimbledon, Lee Bowyer will once again be looking towards a mix of youth and experience for the League Cup clash against the Robins.

Swindon, managed by Richie Wellens, capped off their pre-season preparations with a 1-1 draw against Bristol City last weekend.

Bowyer expects to welcome back Darren Pratley, Alex Gilbey and Chuks Aneke after the trio missed out on the midweek EFL Trophy tie with minor knocks.

But he will be without Jonny Williams and new signing Conor Washington, with the duo away on international duty. Jason Pearce also remains sidelined with a knee injury.

Ben Amos is set to start in goal, with Bowyer having informed Dillon Phillips that he is no longer first choice as he will not commit to a new contract at The Valley.

Charlton Boss Lee Bowyer: "We're weak at the moment. We have to bring bodies in and we've got a long way to go. We're not up to full speed, but it's a good experience for the young lads to be involved."

Charlton have played each other on 61 previous occasions with the Addicks winning 27, the Robins 15 and the remaining 19 ending in draws.

The last visit to the County Ground ended in a 3-0 victory for the hosts in November 2016. Charlton's last victory away at Swindon came in November 2010 with Johnnie Jackson, Joe Anyinsah and Paul Benson all scoring in a 3-0 win.

The sides have met in the League Cup twice before - Swindon won a two-legged, second-round affair 5-4 on aggregate in 1994. Lee Bowyer made his professional debut for Charlton in the second leg at The Valley.

Meanwhile, in August 2007, Darren Ambrose and Andy Reid netted in a 2-0 first-round win at the County Road.

Brett Hextable will take charge of Saturday's game. He officiated 27 games during the 2019/20 season, dishing out 97 yellow cards and four reds.

He refereed Charlton twice during the 2018/19 promotion season - a 4-0 victory over Scunthorpe United at The Valley in April 2019 and a 2-1 win at Southend United in September 2018 which saw him produce seven yellow cards and three red cards in a fiery encounter.

The match at the County Ground is being played behind closed doors and supporters are reminded to maintain social distancing guidelines and to stay away from the stadium when the match is taking place.

Supporters can follow all the build-up to the game on Charlton's official Instagram account, official Twitter account and Facebook page as usual. Supporters both in the UK and Ireland are able to watch the game live on Valley Pass with commentary from Terry Smith and Greg Stubley, the club's in-house commentary team.

Supporters who have already purchased a multi-game package will have been sent a code to access Saturday's game.

Supporters who are yet to purchase a pass for Saturday's game can do here.

Meanwhile, live audio commentary of the game from Smith and Stubley will be available to Valley Pass subscribers in all countries as usual.

Fans who have any problems setting up the streaming can read this for help.

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