Two in-form sides go head-to-head at The Valley on Saturday as the Addicks take a break from league action to take on Plymouth Argyle in the first round of the Emirates FA Cup at The Valley (3pm).
Following six wins on the bounce in League One, Lee Bowyer can afford to make the most of his squad to give some of his players a well-earned rest after a relentless run of fixtures, all the while having an eye on progression into the next round of the competition.
The Pilgrims have been in good form themselves with four wins, a draw and just one defeat in their last six league outings.
Charlton are expected to make a number of changes for the cup clash in SE7. Alfie Doughty, Deji Oshilaja and Alex Gilbey will remain sidelined, while Jason Pearce is expected to make a return in Tuesday's Papa John's Trophy dead-rubber meeting with Leyton Orient. Akin Famewo, meanwhile, has been ruled out for around four weeks.
Bowyer has confirmed that Marcus Maddison will feature as he looks to get minutes having recovered from a troublesome ankle injury in recent weeks.
For Plymouth, Lewis Macleod has returned to training following an injury, but the cup tie may come too soon for him, while Gary Sawyer remains out with an ankle ligament injury.
Charlton Boss Lee Bowyer: “We’ve got a few people who are feeling little things here or there. We’re going to have to look after them for the next two weeks and make sure they are okay for Gillingham. We won’t risk anyone."
Plymouth defender Jerome Opoku: “Charlton are a good side, but I don't think there is a team that is better than and I believe in our ability as a team, so we'll just go there and do what we've been doing in the last few games to try and win."
Charlton and Plymouth have met on 69 previous occasions with the Addicks winning 29, the Pilgrims 26 and the remaining 14 ending in draws.
The sides have met once before in the FA Cup in January 1981. Charlton won the third-round tie 2-1 at Home Park thanks to second-half strikes from Colin Powell and Derek Hales as the Addicks came back from a goal down.
The last meeting at The Valley also ended in a 2-1 win for Charlton as Karlan Grant scored twice to sink the Pilgrims in September 2018.
Neil Hair will be in charge of Saturday's cup tie. He has refereed eight games, so far, this season, producing 28 yellow cards and no reds. It will be the first time he has officiated an Addicks fixture.
Hair will be assisted by Christopher Kidd and Andy Bennett with Isaac Searle as the Fourth Official.
The match will be played behind closed doors and supporters are reminded to maintain social distancing guidelines and to stay away from the stadium when the match is taking place.
There will be no replays in the FA Cup in 2020/21, with games going to extra time and penalties on the day if necessary.
The November edition of Valley Review is now available to purchase online. The magazine covers both of the Addicks' competitive home fixtures in November and features an interview with new popular defender Ryan Inniss. Click here to purchase.
Supporters in the UK only will be able to watch the FA Cup tie live on Valley Pass. A match pass is available to purchase for £10.
Supporters who are yet to purchase a pass for Saturday's game can do so here.
Meanwhile, live audio commentary of the game from Terry Smith and Greg Stubley will be available to Valley Pass subscribers in all countries as usual.
Click here for more information on streaming Saturday's game.