Can The Reds rock Burnley’s run?

Overview:

Charlton will be hosting Burnley this Saturday and everyone involved with The Addicks will be hoping to top off a positive week with another three points.

After a huge fortnight for Charlton, this week was a positive turning point and with only 13 games left of the season, every fixture is vital for Charlton now to ensure that we keep out of the relegation zone and Jose Riga is positive that he can keep us in the Championship.

Burnley are looking for automatic promotion this season and are yet to lose this month, but they have been hit with an injury blow this week as their top scorer Danny Ings is out injured which could unsettle their performance on Saturday, although they have just signed Northern Ireland international Chris Baird, to make up for missing Ings.

Recent form:

Charlton

The reds have had an unsettled month that began with a 3-0 defeat to Leicester in the league and a 2-0 defeat to Sheffield United that led us out of the FA Cup, and it was further rocked by the dismissal of Chris Powell. Jose Riga’s arrival was needed to turn the month around; The Addicks then managed to get two points from Huddersfield and Millwall and finally got their first goal of the month on Tuesday night against Bournemouth.

The huge home win against Bournemouth resulted in us moving out of the dreaded relegation zone, and it seemed to give the players, fans and our new boss a celebration of relief and confidence, which will hopefully be transferred into our performance on Saturday. The entire stadium was in complete elation when Dorian Dervite headed the ball home in stoppage time, it was a pivotal moment for everyone involved with The Addicks to get three points against such a strong side like Bournemouth.

Jose Riga reflected on Bournemouth and said that he thought Charlton deserved the win against The Cherries and he said that the main thing is to be able to win at home. He added, “in each of the three games I do not see a team that is in the last ranking, they have created chances and have played some good football.”

Burnley

Burnley are currently sitting in 2nd place on 73 points and Sean Dyche is aiming for nothing but automatic promotion for The Clarets. They are yet to lose this month after a 2-0 win at home to Derby, a 1-2 win at Blackburn, a 3-3 Draw at Birmingham and a 1-2 win over Leeds.

Injury updates:

Charlton

Leon Cort and Chris Solly are edging closer to fitness following long-term knee injuries but neither are ready to return yet. There are no new injury updates for Charlton, which leaves Riga with a large squad to choose from on Saturday.

Burnley

Burnley have had an injury blow this week with top scorer Danny Ings ruled out for the rest of the month due to ankle ligament damage, which he suffered against Birmingham last week. Danny Ings received The Sky Bet Championship Player Of The Year Award at The Football League Awards on Sunday and has scored 25 goals so far this season so his absence is important to Burnley. They have this afternoon confirmed the signing of Chris Baird on a two-month contract, subject to FA and Football League approval. Baird who is a Northern Ireland international has joined the Clarets on a free transfer having been without a club since leaving Reading back in January.

Burnley’s official site has stated, “He will now link up with Sean Dyche’s squad ahead of Saturday’s game against Charlton Athletic.”

Previous meetings:

The last time that the two teams met, was at Burnley at the end of September and it was an unfortunate game for Charlton with a 3-0 defeat. I’m hoping that the determination of the team to keep in The Championship and with the support from the crowd that we are capable of holding our own.

I’m hoping that the confidence from this week will boost the team and hopefully we will be seeing Johnnie Jackson and Ben Hamer jumping out of the tunnel again on Saturday afternoon!

By Becca James
@Becca_James