Fulham v Charlton Athletic
Friday 7:45 kick off
We kick off the weekend’s action and our preview with a London derby south of the river as Charlton make the short trip to the Cottage to face Fulham.
A good week so far for the Cottagers with four points from their two games. It started with a battling 1-0 victory over high flying Norwich and in midweek they scrapped for a late point scoring in injury time. Some change from the side that showed little signs of fight going winless in the opening eight league games of the season. Kit Symons has done a grand job in getting Fulham competing in matches and climbing up the table, but we still await news on a permanent appointment. Ross McCormack still has not really found his form of last season and this will be a top priority for any new boss. Just three league goals from the Scot so far is simply not good enough and he will know that he needs to score more. He is this game’s key man.
Charlton tasted defeat for the first time in the league this season last weekend in a below par performance at Bournemouth, however they responded superbly with a 2-1 win over Bolton on Tuesday. Bob Peeters has a limited squad to work with, but within he has some real quality that is causing teams all sorts of problems. On the road this season has been productive if not outstanding from the Addicks. They may have lost just once but have only won once away from the Valley. Turning just a couple of these draws into wins could make the picture look very different for Charlton. Despite this they still sit just outside the play-offs and trail leaders Derby by only four points. It is so tight at the top that a win on Friday would push Charlton up to third with all other sides playing on Saturday.
Score prediction: 1-1 draw
