Along with Everton, Charlton are our Premiership bogey team. Out of the six times we have played them we have beaten them once (mainly thanks to the "new manager" effect), drawn once and been beaten 2-1 four times, having taken the lead in three out of those four games.
However, the slate could be considered clean now as both clubs have changed radically since the summer. Charlton have finally said farewell to Alan Curbishley and replaced him with Iain Dowie who hasn't had the best of starts to his Addicks career having won one and lost three of the first four games, conceding eight goals in that time. To be fair to him, Charlton were handed a very difficult start with away trips to West Ham and Chelsea with a home game against Manchester United in between.
We have also undergone a radical transformation over the summer, finding a new base of solidity resulting in a defence that hasn't conceded a goal in a side that has taken 10 points from 12. If the name of our opposition wasn't "Charlton" then with their injuries and defensive frailties I'd fancy us to win but the fact is that we never get a result against the Addicks no matter how well we play. The memories of last seasons defeat when we were cruising still make me wonder "how?" and hopefully tommorow Pompey can banish those gutting feelings with victory tommorow.
As mentioned, Charlton have a host of injuries that would make even Harry Redknapp worry. Djimi Traore, Cory Gibbs, Andy Reid, Jonathan Fortune, Jerome Thomas, Gonzalo Sorondo and former Pompey target Souleymane Diawara all look set to miss out as well as Hermann Hreidarsson who is banned. Amdy Faye will be a familiar face in the opposing line up tommorow but Dowie's squad problems are so bad it looks like Faye will be played at centre back. Despite that, our own defence arguably faces its toughest test yet against Darren Bent and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink who I'm sure will be in the mix tommorow.
Dejan Stefanovic's toe injury is not as bad as first feared and should be OK to continue at left back alongside Campbell, Primus and Johnson. Harry's selection dilemma comes in form on the new faces at the club with Niko Kranjcar and Rudolphe Douala ready to play as well as Andy Cole possibly being fit enough for a place on the bench. I hope Harry doesn't change a winning team and sticks with the side that beat Wigan, but I think Kranjcar will start in place of Davis which might not be such a good move considering how well our unsung hero has played so far this season. But Harry knows best and I'd back any selection to give threadbare Charlton problems tommorow.
Under any normal circumstances I would fancy us to win because of how well we are performing but I have a horrible feeling about playing Charlton at The Valley because no matter how much we control the game, they always manage to steal a result against us one undeserved way or another. However this Pompey side is about proving doubters wrong and tommorow will be our best chance to record our first win at Charlton since 1993.
Being top of the table again is too good to be true.... isn't it?
Premiership Past: Charlton Athletic vs Pompey
03/04: Charlton Athletic 1 Pompey 1
Pompey travelled to The Valley having just recorded their first ever Premiership away win against Blackburn a week before. Shaun Bartlett put Athletic ahead early on but Pompey equalised with a Yakubu header to get a deserved point as we continued our run to safety.
04/05: Charlton Athletic 2 Pompey 1
Pompey didn't get off to the best start this season either as Jason Euell put the home side a goal up but then Patrik Berger equalised with a stunning volley that ended up winning "Goal Of The Season" and the game was petering out into a draw when suddenly in the dying minutes of the game David Unsworth played a simple back header for Shaka Hislop to collect but astoundingly the ball slipped under his body and into the net to gift Charlton a cruel win.
05/06: Charlton Athletic 2 Pompey 1
Pompey took the lead in the first half of the game with an Andres D'Alessandro wondergoal that curled into the far corner of the net after he had beaten the Charlton defence from outside the box. Pompey then began playing some excellent football and were in cruise control for most of the game until a long ball was latched onto by Darren Bent and he managed to beat the Pompey full backs and square to Bryan Hughes for an easy tap in. A stunned Pompey crowd witnessed the complete mugging when Darren Bent once again used his pace to beat the Pompey defence and rifle in a winner as Pompey fans wondered what the hell happened as Charlton recorded yet another undeserved win against us.
Pundit Watch
Lawro: Draw (1-1)
Sky Sports: Away Win (1-2)
Matt Le Tissier: Draw (2-2)
Soccernet: Away Win