Preview: Charlton Athletic vs. Doncaster Rovers - prediction, team news, lineups

Charlton Athletic will welcome Doncaster Rovers to The Valley on Saturday with both sides languishing in the League One relegation zone.

The hosts will be looking to build upon a win last time out, while their opponents will aim to make it three games without defeat.

Match preview

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Two defeats in 13 league games resulted in Nigel Adkins being relieved of his duties, with Johnnie Jackson tasked with overseeing first-team affairs on an interim basis.

Jackson may have been fearful that his first game in charge was an away trip to promotion-chasing Sunderland, but it turned out to be a dream start for the interim boss, with Jayden Stockley scoring his fifth league goal of the season to give The Addicks a precious 1-0 victory.

Charlton will be aiming to win consecutive league games for the first time this season when they face Doncaster on Saturday.

If Charlton are to win at the weekend, then Jackson will need to focus on improving their home form, since they have only collected one point from their previous four home league games.

The concern for Jackson will be how easy it has been for their opponents to score at The Valley, demonstrated by the 11 goals that Charlton have conceded on home turf in their last four League One encounters.

Doncaster head into Saturday in 23rd position - just one point behind their opponents - but four points from their previous two outings has given their season some much needed impetus.

A 3-2 win last weekend against Cheltenham Town gave Rovers their third league victory of the season, and they followed that result with a 1-1 draw against Cambridge United in midweek.

Despite Dan Gardner scoring an own goal in the first half, Doncaster managed to grab a point courtesy of Ethan Galbraith's superb long distance effort.

After a couple of positive results, the next task for Richie Wellens and his side is to start picking up points on the road, with Rovers losing all seven of their away league games this season.

They have had a torrid time on their travels in League One this term, conceding 16 goals and only finding the net on two occasions, and if they are to escape the relegation zone then their away form will need to improve.

Team News

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In his first game in charge, Jackson adopted a 3-5-2 formation, and he is expected to keep the same shape for Saturday's contest.

Sam Lavelle had to be withdrawn last weekend after picking up a groin injury, and if the defender is not available for the weekend then Jason Pearce will take his place in the backline.

After a superb performance last weekend, Jackson is expected to keep changes to a minimum.

Doncaster will be without Tommy Rowe, who is missing with a back problem, while Ben Close is also set to miss the encounter due to a hamstring injury.

Kyle Knoyle replaced Gardner in the first half of the Cambridge game and the right-back is likely to start Saturday's encounter.

Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:
MacGillivray; Matthews, Pearce, Famewo; Leko, Dobson, Lee, Gilbey, Purrington; Stockley, Washington

Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:
Dahlberg; Knoyle, Williams, Anderson, Olowu; Galbraith, Bostock, Smith; Vilca, Hiwula, Dodoo

We say: Charlton Athletic 1-1 Doncaster Rovers

Charlton will be looking for consecutive victories, but Doncaster seemed to have turned a corner and with every point so important, given the two sides' precarious league positions, we think that both will settle for a point.

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