Charlton Athletic will make the relatively short trip to Adams Park for Sunday’s first leg against Wycombe Wanderers in the League One playoffs.
The Addicks will have home advantage for the second leg after they finished in fourth position, just one point ahead of fifth-placed Wycombe in the League One table.
Match preview
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Wycombe will have to pick themselves up after their automatic promotion hopes were quashed by a poor end to the regular season.
After 43 games, the Chairboys were sitting in second place with 84 points and a slender one-point lead over third-placed Wrexham.
However, they ultimately failed to add to their points tally in their final three matches, with their losing run beginning with a heavy 4-0 home defeat against Charlton Athletic.
The Chairboys went on to lose narrowly in their away meeting with Leyton Orient, before their campaign ended with a 3-1 loss in last Saturday’s home clash against Stockport County, causing them to drop down to fifth position in the standings.
While their form may have dipped at the wrong time, Wycombe still have the chance to end their four-year stint in the third tier, as they prepare to compete in the League One playoffs for the first time since they won promotion in 2019-20.
Unfortunately for Wycombe, they have found wins hard to come by in recent games against Charlton, having won just one of their previous six meetings (W3, D2).
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In contrast to their opponents, Charlton put together a strong run of form to finish the campaign with six victories in eight matches, including four wins in their last five outings.
The Addicks recorded three consecutive victories against Cambridge United, Northampton Town and Wycombe, before they were stopped in their tracks by a 3-0 defeat to Wrexham – a result which secured promotion for the Welsh side and ensured Charlton would have to be content with the playoffs.
However, Nathan Jones‘s side showed great character to bounce back with a 3-1 victory in last Saturday’s home clash against Burton Albion, thanks to a Matty Godden brace and an Alex Mitchell effort.
As a result of that victory, Charlton pipped Wycombe to fourth spot to secure a home second leg in their first playoff campaign since they secured promotion in 2018-19.
The Addicks will take immense confidence from the fact they have won three of their last four game against Wycombe (L1), including two wins in the regular campaign, recording a 2-1 victory in December’s reverse fixture before cruising to a 4-0 win at Adams Park earlier this month courtesy of goals from Lloyd Jones, Luke Berry, Karoy Anderson and Godden.
Team News
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Wycombe remain without the services of Shamal George, Daniel Harvie and Bez Lubala due to their respective injury issues.
Midfielder Josh Scowen could be out for around nine months after he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the defeat to Leyton Orient earlier this month.
Forward Sam Vokes suffered a broken arm in the final game of the season against Stockport, ruling him out of the playoff semi-finals and a potential final at Wembley.
As for the Addicks, they remain without the injured Miles Leaburn, while Thierry Small and Berry will have to be assessed after being absent for the last two games.
There are also doubts surrounding the availability of Gassan Ahadme and Jones, with the pair hoping to prove their fitness ahead of Sunday’s fixture.
Striker Chuks Aneke will serve the final game of a three-match ban after being shown a straight red card in the latter stages of the 4-0 win over Wycombe earlier this month.
Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Norris; Grimmer, Bradley, Taylor, Reach; Simons, Leahy, Onyedima, Lowry; McCleary, Udoh
Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:
Mannion; Ramsay, Mitchell, Gillesphey, Edwards; Coventry, Docherty; T. Watson, Anderson, Campbell; Godden
We say: Wycombe Wanderers 1-2 Charlton Athletic
We expect Sunday’s first leg to be much closer than last month’s meeting between the two sides, but we still think Charlton will do enough to beat Wycombe for the third time this season, especially as they enter the contest with a lot more confidence than their hosts.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
