Fleetwood will be aiming to distance themselves from the ensuing League One relegation scrap with a win this weekend as they travel to The Valley to face Charlton Athletic.
The hosts currently occupy 12th place in the league having picked up 37 points from their 28 league games so far this campaign. Charlton come into this tie on the back of an impressive run of form that has seen the Addicks create a 10 point gap between themselves and the relegation zone.
Dean Holden’s side have won four of their last five league games, recording wins against Portsmouth, Lincoln Barnsley and Exeter. The Addicks have improved defensively since the start of the season and have only conceded four times in their last five outings.
Last time out, two early goals helped Charlton to a 2-1 win at Exeter, continuing their surge up the League One table. Goals from Jesurun Rak-sakyi and Corey Blackett-taylor within the first 20 minutes provided the Addicks with an unassailable lead.
Scott Fraser has been a pivotal part of Charlton’s revival and unsurprisingly has been nominated for the League One player of the month award for January. Fraser has thrived in an advanced midfield role and has recorded important goals against the likes of Lincoln and Portsmouth.
Fleetwood come into this weekend on the back of a poor run of form that has seen the Fishermen slide down the League One table into 17th position. Scott Brown’s side are now just two points above the relegation zone.
The visitors have lost their last four games on the bounce and have only one one of their last seven league games. Scott Brown’s side have struggled to find the back of the net in recent outings, having not scored in two of their last three league games.
Away from the league, Fleetwood managed to progress into the 5th round of the FA cup on Tuesday night thanks to a 1-0 victory over the League One leaders. This victory set up a fifth-round game at Turf Moor, which will take place on Wednesday 1st March.
This is only the twelfth competitive meeting between these sides, with Charlton having dominated this fixture throughout its history. Fleetwood have only won on one occasion, whilst the Addicks have won four and there have been six draws.
A draw was the result when these sides met earlier in this season's League One campaign. Callum Morton struck on the half-hour mark to give Fleetwood a deserved lead at the break. Miles Leaburn equalised 13 minutes from time as the game ended 1-1.
Charlton are heavily favoured at the bookies ahead of this tie and are currently priced @ 10/11 to win, whilst an away win for Fleetwood is currently priced @ 11/4. Charlton striker Chuks Aneke is the favourite to score in the game and is currently priced @ 2/1.
We are backing Charlton to win to nil because of their historical dominance of this fixture paired with their superior form heading into this tie. Charltons defence looks to have improved in recent weeks, as the Addicks have only conceded twice in their last three.
