Introduction:

Saturday’s south London derby against Millwall will be Jose Riga’s second game as manager of Charlton Athletic.

In what has been a breathless week for Addicks fans, they will be hoping it can end on a high as the Addicks go in search of a vital three points in their fight against relegation.

Following the FA Cup exit at the hands of Sheffield United last Sunday, fan favourite Chris Powell was relieved of his duties as manager on Tuesday, before Charlton played out an entertaining 0-0 draw against Huddersfield on Wednesday night.

A win could see Charlton move onto level points with Millwall, whilst a win for the home side could see them pull five points away for the relegation zone.

Recent Form: last six matches

Charlton:

The bad news for Charlton fans is that their side has only one win in six matches, and in that time they have only managed to score two goals.

Three straight defeats at the hands of Doncaster, Wigan, and Birmingham made the start of February tough for the south Londoners, before respite came in the form of a memorable last gasp 1-0 win at home to QPR.

Another loss at Leicester followed by a 0-0 draw in midweek means that Charlton find themselves propping up the Champion ship table with 15 games remaining.

Millwall:

Addicks fans can take heart from the fact that Millwall have only won once in their last six matches as well. That victory came away at Derby – where a Steve Morrison goal gave Millwall an eye catching result, the striker is expected to be unavailable for Saturdays contest.

Elsewhere, The Lions have picked up draws against Yeovil and Bolton, whilst they have lost to Barnsley, Brighton and Blackpool by a 1-0 score line.

Team News and Selection:

Charlton:

Wednesday’s draw with Huddersfield saw Dervite, Sordell, Ghoochannejhad and Ajdarevic all brought back into the side following Sunday’s cup exit.

Given that the game in midweek came just 24 hours after Riga had arrived at Sparrows Lane, it’s difficult to assess just how much input the new man had on the starting eleven.

The improved performance is encouraging, but Charlton still can’t seem to put the ball in the back of the net.

I’d hazard a guess that we’ll line up as follows: Hamer, Wilson, Dervite, Morrison, Wiggins, Harriott, Jackson, Poyet, Ajdarevic, Ghoochannejhad, Church.

That means I’ve made one change to the midweek side, with Church replacing Sordell.

Millwall:

The loss at Blackpool on Tuesday saw the Lions line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation – I’d expect to see the same on Saturday.

DJ Campbell and Jermaine Easter are both still side-lined through injury, whilst Steve Morrison suffered a neck injury in the defeat on Tuesday.

This has prompted Ian Holloway to recall John Marquis from his loan spell at Northampton, meaning we could well see the young forward in action for Millwall at the weekend.

Otherwise, it’s likely to be as you were for Millwall: Forde, Fredericks, Robinson, Lowry, Bessone, Upson, Williams, Martin, Garvan, Woolford, Marquis.

Prediction:

I can’t see there being a lot of goals in this one, both teams will be cautious not to lose, and it’s likely the sides will cancel each other out.

But in a derby game form goes out of the window, so I’ll stick my neck out and say Charlton will inflict yet another 1-0 defeat on the Lions, just don’t ask me who’s going to score – going on previous games we’ll take a goal from anyone!

By Alex Stedman
http://twitter.com/astedman1

Head to www.skybet.com for the latest betting odds for the game.