Charlton will take on their first challenge in this year's Emirates FA Cup when they face fellow Championship side West Bromwich Albion on Sunday (2.01pm)
The match sees the Baggies make the first of their two trips to the capital in January, with them also taking on the Addicks at The Valley in the league the following weekend. Slaven Bilic's side are flying high at the moment, currently locking horns with Leeds United as the duo vie for the Championship's top spot.
With Charlton focusing on remaining in the league and with West Brom focusing on promotion, the fixture could be somewhat of a wild card with both teams likely to be wary of picking up injuries which could affect their respective league campaigns, so a number of changes for both sides could well be on show.
With an already decimated squad due to injuries, Lee Bowyer will likely opt to field a youthful side once again.
Bowyer was impressed by the performance put in by the young Addicks when they narrowly lost to Swansea City on Thursday night and will be hoping they can build on their efforts on Sunday. Charlton will also have academy graduates Brendan Wiredu, Taylor Maloney and Toby Stevenson available after they were recalled from their respective loan spells.
However, Alfie Doughty and Ben Dempsey are both cup tied having played in the competition for their previous loan clubs this term and, after coming off during the fixture against the Swans, Lyle Taylor is not expected to be involved.
Also still unavailable for Charlton are Macauley Bonne, Chuks Aneke, Tomer Hemed, Jonny Williams, Josh Cullen, Jake Forster-Caskey, Sam Field, Beram Kayal, George Lapslie, Lewis Page and Ben Amos.
For West Brom, they are looking to hand a return to Grady Diangana who has been out with an injury for a number of weeks.
Charlton Boss Lee Bowyer: "The schedule is crazy. I would grab a winter break with both hands! If you can't rotate, like the situation we're in at the moment, then it's tough because you risk injuries to players. We're bare bones. They'll have Friday off because they need a rest, but we've only got two days to recover and then we'll try and put a team out there without taking too many risks."
West Brom Boss Slaven Bilic: "We have to strike a balance between changes and respecting the competition. Everybody is looking forward to it; everybody wants to be part of it and everybody wants to have a good run.
“Basically we will try to field a competitive team with chances to progress and at the same time rest some players.”
Charlton and West Brom have faced each other 60 times in total, sharing 21 wins each and playing out 18 draws. A draw was the result when the Addicks last faced the Midlands outfit as Josh Cullen converted a stoppage-time penalty to make the scores 2-2 in a game which saw Macauley Bonne cancel out Matt Phillips' opener before Hal Robson-Kanu put the hosts back in front.
This is the seventh season in which the two sides have met in the FA Cup. Charlton won the first tie in 1923 with a 1-0 victory at The Valley, while West Brom won the second after a pair of replays in 1931, but the Addicks were triumphant in 1947 on their way to victory in the final. Charlton also won an FA Cup tie over the Baggies in 1955, while West Brom claimed a win in 1990 and the last time the sides met in the competition in 2008 on penalties following a replay.
David Webb will be the referee on Sunday. Webb has taken charge of 17 games in total this season handing out 46 yellow cards yet not a single red. His last time in charge of a Charlton game was back in November 2019, when Charlton were beaten 1-0 by Preston North End.
Supporters are asked to be aware that Bartrams Restaurant and Bar will be closed, though supporters with a valid ticket in the West stand can access the Millennium Lounge and those with a valid ticket in the Covered End will be able to access the Fans Bar.
As part of the Heads Up campaign, all 32 Emirates FA Cup Third Round fixtures [excluding replays] will kick-off one minute later than their traditionally scheduled timeslots to encourage fans to ‘Take A Minute’ to think about looking after their mental health. During the minute delay, fans will be encouraged to consider the positive impact 60 seconds can have on their own wellbeing or in supporting a friend or family member. Click here for more information on the Heads Up campaign.
Supporters can follow all the build-up to the game on Charlton's official Instagram account, official Twitter account and Facebook page.
Live audio commentary of the game from Charlton commentators Terry Smith and Greg Stubley will be available on Valley Pass.