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Charlton are not having the best of times. They have won just once in their last six games and that was a 2-0 win at Sheffield United ten days ago when Chris Iwelumo and Sam Sodje got the goals.
They've made a number of changes to their squad since we last played them at the beginning of December. Alan Pardew has made only one permanent signing and I don't need to remind anyone that it is Andy Gray for whom they rushed through a move in January to enable him to play at Watford.
He's added to that with four loan signings, two on the last day of the window followed by two emergency deals since. Greg Halford and Lee Cook arrived from RK Sunderland and Fulham respectively and more recently they have signed Scott Sinclair from Chelsea and Reading striker Leroy Lita.
Although they won recently at Bramall Lane you have to go back to the beginning of December to find their previous away win. That came at Cardiff and in total they have won seven games on the road this season. They have one of the best away records in the league and currently just two points less than we've picked up on our travels.
Our win there in December came during that wonderful run of away performances and results that also included Watford and Wolves. I don't think we've ever re-created that sort of form since but now would be a good time to start.
A win would once more edge us closer to the top six and would leave us only one point behind Pardew's team. Now really is the time to strike if we want to make those play offs.
Alan Pardew is expected to ring the changes after slamming the performance in Saturday's defeat against Preston. Definitely out of the side are Lloyd Sam, who limped out of the Preston game with a hamstring injury, and central defender Madjid Bougherra. He has a foot injury and could be back in contention in a week's time.
It is thought that Pardew will adopt a 4-5-1 formation that he last used in the win at Sheffield United and that would see Leroy Lita employed as the lone striker meaning no place for former Claret Andy Gray.
The formation will determine who comes in for Sam. If they do play 4-5-1 expect Luke Varney to play on the left with Jose Semedo coming into the central midfield area. If he sticks with a 4-4-2 formation then any of Jerome Thomas, Lee Cook or Scott Sinclair could fill the position on the left.
Jonathan Fortune will again miss out with Sam Sodje continuing alongside Paddy McCarthy at the back but there could be changes at full back. Greg Halford and Kelly Youga played on Saturday but Ben Thatcher and Yassin Moutaouakil could come in.
Charlton could line up: Nicky Weaver, Ben Thatcher, Sam Sodje, Paddy McCarthy, Kelly Youga, Darren Ambrose, Matt Holland, Zheng Zhi (the China captain), Jose Semedo, Luke Varney, Leroy Lita. Subs from: Rob Elliot, Greg Halford, Yassin Moutaouakil, Jonathan Fortune, Scott Sinclair, Lee Cook, Jerome Thomas, Chris Iwelumo, Andy Gray.
Owen Coyle has Steve Caldwell available again after serving a one match suspension and other than Ade Akinbiyi, who has been under the weather again for the past few days, it should be just about the same squad as featured at Stoke.
I don't think Caldwell will come back into the side. Both Clarke Carlisle and Stanislav Varga played well on Saturday and Caldwell didn't have a very good game at Hull. Elsewhere in the side Coyle could decide to bring in Alan Mahon from the start in place of Mark Randall whilst it is expected that Andrew Cole will start up front, probably with Robbie Blake.
Our team could be: Gabor Kiraly, Graham Alexander, Clarke Carlisle, Stanislav Varga, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott, James O'Connor, Alan Mahon, Kyle Lafferty, Robbie Blake, Andrew Cole. Subs from: Brian Jensen, Steven Caldwell, David Unsworth, Mark Randall, John Spicer, Ade Akinbiyi.
The last time Burnley and Charlton met in league action at Turf Moor we were right in a fight to avoid the drop. We go back thirteen years to the 1994/95 season.
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We'd beaten them 2-1 at the Valley earlier in the season with goals from Steve Davis and Liam Robinson. That was our third, and what proved to be our last away win of the season.
That win meant we were looking for a second double of the season. We'd already beaten Luton twice but Millwall, where we also won, had won the return game at Burnley.
David Eyres gave us the lead midway through the first half and when Paul Shaw added a second nine minutes from the end the victory was confirmed.
The three points lifted us to within four points of both Portsmouth and Sunderland and both had to come to the Turf in our remaining three home games. It gave us hope that, despite a horrible run at the beginning of 1995, we could still avoid the drop. Unfortunately we won only one more game (at home against Derby) and were relegated.
The teams in the Charlton game were;
Burnley: Marlon Beresford, Gary Parkinson, Steve Davis, Mark Winstanley, Chris Vinnicombe, Jamie Hoyland, Adrian Randall, Steve Thompson, Ted McMinn (Liam Robinson), David Eyres, Paul Shaw.
Charlton: Mike Salmon (Andy Petterson), Steve Brown, Paul Mortimer, Keith Jones, Richard Rufus, Stuart Balmer, Mark Robson, Carl Leaburn, Alan Pardew, Kim Grant (Mickey Bennett), John Robinson (Colin Walsh).
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1993/94 | FAC | a | 0-3 | 8,336 | . |
1994/95 | 1 | a | 2-1 | 9,436 | Davis Robinson |
| . | . | h | 2-0 | 10,045 | Eyres Shaw |
1996/97 | LC | a | 1-4 | 4,874 | Eyres |
| . | . | h | 1-2 | 2,281 | Nogan |
2007/08 | C | a | 3-1 | 21,122 | Gray(2 1pen) McCann |