Match Preview
Charlton
vrs
Fulham
Championship Match Day 10 1516 at The Valley
Sunday 04th October 2015 KO: 12:00
Ref: James Linington (Isle of Wight)
Sky 2
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Two sides currently sitting in the bottom half of the Championship table meet on Sunday when Charlton Athletic host Fulham in a London derby.
After both sides suffered defeat in their most recent outing, the pressure is on as the Cottagers make the trip to The Valley.
Consistency must surely be the buzzword in the Fulham camp after a run of games which displayed the best and worst of the squad under the guidance of the frustrated Kit Symons, who will feel that his side must be competing further up the table.
It was a memorable night at Craven Cottage last Friday as Fulham produced an impressive display to thrash Queens Park Rangers 4-0, but the good mood surrounding the club was gone just a few days later when they slipped to a 3-0 loss against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Much like last season, it was a case of one step forward and one back for Fulham in September as they moved to a record of three wins, two draws and four defeats from their first nine league games of the season.
As the joint-highest scorers in the Championship, delivering in the final third does not appear to be a problem for the Cottagers, who carry a threat in attack and midfield with the likes of Moussa Dembele and Ross McCormack leading by example for a side lacking in defensive resiliency.
One clean sheet is further proof of the issue for Symons, who will be identifying the trip to The Valley as the ideal chance to collect three points before the squad are split for another international break.
Very few managers are under quite as much pressure as Guy Luzon ahead of his side's 10th league game of the season, and he will be fully aware that another disappointing result will have his critics talking louder than ever.
It was a disastrous September for the Addicks as they picked up just one point and conceded 12 goals in five games in all competitions.
For Luzon, the challenge will be proving to his players that a response is just around the corner, but the struggle to produce a good performance over 90 minutes has been a step too far for Charlton in recent weeks.
"I can only blame myself and my team.
It's our responsibility to perform better.
We are working hard to show our quality because we know it's not enough at the moment," Luzon said this week as the pressure from supporters continues to grow.
Charlton could have been entering the London derby with a very different mood in the camp had they held on after Karlan Ahearne-Grant's goal last weekend, but they were unable to stop Cardiff from fighting back in a 2-1 loss in the Welsh capital.
It was a third successive league loss and another disappointing run in October will add to the view that a relegation battle is more realistic than achieving success further up the table.
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It has been over 10 years since Charlton recorded victory over Fulham, with Jerome Thomas and Talal El Karkouri the scorers in a 2-1 triumph when the two sides were in the Premier League in December 2004.
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Fulham have won four of the eight meetings between the two sides since that result, but they have only been victorious once in their last nine visits to The Valley.
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Charlton have lost just one of their last nine league meetings with Fulham at the Valley (W4 D4), scoring 13 and conceding just eight in that time.
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Fulham have kept only one clean sheet in their last 13 trips to the Valley in league competition
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The Addicks have lost four of their last five games in the league, including each of the last three.
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Charlton have won 35%, drawn 35% and lost 30% of their last 20 home games.
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Charlton have conceded 1 goal or less in 14 of their last 20 home games, going on to win 6, draw 6 and lose 2 of these matches.
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Charlton have scored in 80% of their last 20 home games.
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Charlton have scored first in 30% of their last 20 home games.
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Ross McCormack has netted six goals in his last seven games (all comps).
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Fulham have faced more opposition shots on target than any other Championship team this season (50).
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Fulham have won 25%, drawn 25% and lost 50% of their last 20 away games.
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Fulham have conceded 1 goal or less in 11 of their last 20 away games, going on to win 5, draw 4 and lose 2 of these matches.
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Fulham have scored in 75% of their last 20 away games.
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Fulham have scored first in 40% of their last 20 away games.