The Addicks will return to Sky Bet League One action on Saturday afternoon (1pm) when they travel to the Priestfield Stadium to take on 16th placed Gillingham.
Lee Bowyer’s men will be looking to pick up where they left off in League One prior to the side’s cup ties with Plymouth Argyle and Leyton Orient and the recent international break, with the 3-2 victory over Fleetwood Town at the start of the month making it six wins on the spin for Charlton.
The hosts will be hoping to build on their much-needed 1-0 victory at Crewe Alexandra last time out – a victory which ended Gillingham’s run of five consecutive league losses.
Team News
Lee Bowyer will be without Akin Famewo (hamstring) and Alfie Doughty (hamstring), while Saturday will come too soon for Alex Gilbey, Deji Oshilaja, and Jason Pearce as the Addicks trio continue to work their way up to full match-fitness following their respective injuries.
Meanwhile, Jonny Williams’ status is in doubt after returning from the international break with a slight groin strain.
Charlton will welcome back Williams’ Welsh compatriots Chris Gunter and Dylan Levitt as well as Northern Irish striker Conor Washington, after their involvement with their countries.
Bowyer has also confirmed that Washington’s fellow countryman Paul Smyth will be available after shaking off complaints of a tight groin.
Gillingham will be without long-term absentees Jacob Mellis and Stuart O’Keefe, with the former recently undergoing an operation to remove tissue from his knee, while the latter suffered a broken leg and ligament damage just a week into the Gills’ 2020-21 campaign.
The returning Thomas O’Connor is available for Steve Evans after his involvement with Ireland’s U21s against Iceland and Luxembourg. He is currently enjoying his second spell in Kent after impressing last season on loan from Southampton which prompted the Gills to bring in the 21-year-old on another loan deal for this campaign.
The “Crazy” Five Substitutions
On Wednesday afternoon, it was announced that English Football League clubs will be allowed to make five substitutes per game for the remainder of the 2020-21 season. The new ruling will come into force for this weekend’s fixtures, though Addicks manager Lee Bowyer was among those against this change.
Speaking prior to the EFL’s statement, Bowyer revealed that he disagrees with anything other than the conventional three substitutions as, in his words, “that’s the game”.
This will not be the first time the EFL have permitted the use of five substitutions; back in June when the top two tiers of English football restarted managers were able to utilise five replacements, but the 43-year-old admitted he thinks the ruling didn’t really help his Charlton side.
“I understand why they [the EFL] would go to five subs because of the number of games but that means you can change pretty much half your team in any match. That’s crazy, really, when you think logically about it.
“The way it can help is if you’d made three subs and then someone gets injured,” said Bowyer.
Head-to-Head
Charlton and Gillingham have shared 34 meetings with the Addicks winning 16 and earning 12 draws, while the Gills have been victorious on six occasions.
The last competitive meeting came in April 2019 at Gillingham’s Priestfield Stadium in a League One clash that saw Lee Bowyer’s men come out on top with a 2-0 win after first-half goals from midfield duo Joe Aribo and Josh Cullen.
