Charlton will be in front of their home faithful for the first time this season when they host Shrewsbury at The Valley on Saturday (3pm).
The Addicks will be looking at this match as the perfect opportunity to gain some revenge on the visitors, who beat them in the play-offs last season, and tickets remain on sale.
Another incentive is to put their first points on the board, after succumbing to a 96th minute goal from Lynden Gooch in Saturday’s unfortunate 2-1 defeat at Sunderland.
Meanwhile, play-off finalists Shrewsbury have seen all change following last season’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of Rotherham United at Wembley Stadium. Manager Paul Hurst has moved to Ipswich Town and some key players have moved on as well.
Toto Nsiala and Jon Nolan have both followed in the footsteps of their former manager and have switched to Portman Road.
Saturday’s curtain raiser for the Shrews ended in a 1-0 defeat at home to Bradford and, therefore, both teams will be hoping to get some points to get their seasons up and running.
Captain Jason Pearce is set to miss the game after picking up a knock to the knee late in Saturday’s game at Sunderland. Apart from that, Charlton have no other fresh injury concerns, with all their longer term absentees Tariqe Fosu, Ben Reeves, Billy Clarke and Igor Vetokele still sidelined. New signing Jed Steer could be involved for the first time.
For Shrewsbury, new signings Lee Angol, Oliver Norburn, Greg Docherty and Luke Waterfall could all be involved.
Tickets for Saturday’s opening home game remain on sale and prices start at:
Adult: £18
Over 65: £14
U21: £14
Adult ambulant disabled: £16
Over 65 ambulant disabled: £12
U21 ambulant disabled: £12
U18: £7
U11: £3
Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here or by calling 03330 14 44 44 up until 1pm on Saturday. They will remain on sale in person from The Valley right up until kick-off.
Charlton caretaker boss Lee Bowyer: “We’re excited to have our first game at home and hopefully there will be a good crowd that turn out. Obviously, we have had a couple of pre-season games but to really get the season going at home will be exciting.”
Shrewsbury Town midfielder Shaun Whalley: “I thought we did quite well on Saturday against Bradford, but obviously we didn’t get the result and we are looking to put that right this Saturday against Charlton.”
The Shrews have the edge on the Addicks and have won 10 of the previous 23 meetings, with Charlton winning six, while the remaining seven matches have ended as draws. Charlton have won two of the last six meetings and, in last season’s league games, the away side ran out 2-0 winners on both occasions between Charlton and Shrewsbury.
For 2018/19's match previews, we will be dipping into the Valley Pass archive to look back on a previous encounter against Charlton's opponents. This time, we look back relatively shortly at the Addicks' 2-0 win over Shrewsbury last season. Jason Pearce bagged the opener as Lee Bowyer's men earned a crucial three points. Watch the highlights on Valley Pass.
Craig Hicks is the man with the whistle for Saturday’s game. Last season, he brandished 124 yellows and six reds, and he has already dished out seven yellows so far this term. Last season, the referee officiated three matches where he did not book any players and one of those games was Charlton against Fulham U21 in the Checkatrade Trophy where the Addicks won 3-2.
Saturday’s official matchday programme is a bumper 146-page edition which features an in-depth interview with Lyle Taylor and incorporates the club’s 2018/19 handbook. To read more about Saturday's programme, please click here.
The North Stand’s free entry supporters’ bar will be open as usual, with its doors opening from 12pm.
All season ticket holders and Charlton fans with match tickets are welcome to visit the Fans’ Bar before and after the game and supporters can purchase food and drinks in there.
On Saturday, the Fans’ Bar will be showing the live matches between Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur (early kick-off), Derby County and Leeds United (5.30pm kick-off) and Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton (5.30pm kick-off).
Saturday's Family Activity Zone will be open as normal between 1.15pm and 2.30pm, giving youngsters the chance to warm up for the game by playing FIFA, pool and table tennis.
Outside, youngsters can play in the FAZ’s football cage and practice their football shooting skills with the Community Trust’s inflatable target game.
On the East Street menu for Saturday are honey-baked ham brioche baps, served with English mustard, while jumbo pork sausages with onions in French bread will also be on sale.
Chicken nuggets and chips with a Capri Sun will be available for children and, elsewhere, steak and ale pies, and cheese and onion pasties will be on sale.
Portions os chips will be on sale too and, as a sweeter option, muffins and mini doughnuts will be on sale.
Supporters can follow all the build-up to the game on Charlton's official Instagram account, official Twitter account, Facebook page and official Snapchat account.
Live commentary of the clash will be available on Valley Pass exclusively for subscribers. Please click here for more information on how you can subscribe to Valley Pass and how you can purchase a 48-hour matchday pass, which is priced at just £4.
2018/19 season tickets will be available to purchase before and after kick-off from The Valley. For full details on season tickets, please clicks here.
To view Saturday's matchday timetable, please see below:
Fans are also advised to arrive at The Valley in good time, and to plan their journeys in advance, in order to avoid long queues when buying tickets and entering the ground. Searches will be taking place at the turnstiles due to heightened security in the capital at this time.