Charlton Athletic v West Ham United
This London derby might not attract the same level of media attention as the one taking place north of the river, but even without the historic, geographic and emotional intensity charged at White Hart Lane, Charlton and West Ham should provide no less passion on the pitch.
Inconsistency has ruled supreme in both their seasons to date and consequently the two sides can be found in the lower echelons of the Premiership, separated by a solitary point. However, the hosts will be buoyed by their audacious 4-2 win at Highbury a fortnight ago - the first time they have netted more than two goals in a league game this term.
Indeed this was their first win at Arsenal since 1955 and by way of celebration the club have released a video entitled 'Black Sabbath' - an ode to their gothic away kit. This time next week the fans will be hopeful of purchasing a sequel named 'Red Feast', if they can sweep aside West Ham in similar fashion that is.
Just when Glenn Roeder appeared to be steering the Hammers in the right direction, Fulham ended their unbeaten home record with a 2-0 smash-and-grab raid. Striker Freddie Kanoute boldly blamed himself for the defeat, after hitting a post rather with just the 'keeper to beat. "But if I had scored it would have been much easier for us; it turned the game", he admitted.
In fairness, neither side are fulfilling their potential in the final third this year. With just a dozen goals each, the hosts have proven marginally more accurate in front of the posts, yet Derby County are the only Premiership side to have attempted fewer shots than the Addicks this season. But at least Charlton are demonstrating some form of solidity at the back.
West Ham may have registered a clean sheet more than their opponents and completed more clearances, blocks and interceptions than any other top-flight side, but they are still leaking goals at a rate of almost two goals per game. Australian Hayden Foxe was arguably the club's best defender against the Cottagers, making two goal-line clearances; however, he will be on international duty for this clash.
The hosts will be aiming to capitalise on any weaknesses in Roeder's defence and are rated at 18/1 by online bookmakers WHUFCbet.co.uk to score three without reply on Monday. Such a victory would enable Charlton to leapfrog West Ham in the table and remain unbeaten against capital rivals this season.
Mark Willis
Match referee: A. Wiley
Referee Alan Wiley has officiated Premiership games with a good deal of common sense and wisdom. The Midlands-based Wiley has let matches ebbed and flowed and he's hoping for a good contest between two local rivals who only shared one booking between them in last season's corresponding fixture.
Referee's Name FoulsPenaltiesYellow CardsRed CardsAve
Disc pointsA. Wiley 283 2 23 1 45.50
PLAYER HEAD-TO-HEAD
click below for in-depth comparisonKiely v Hislop
TEAM NEWS
Hammers welcome back Czech international defender Tomas Repka from suspension and boss Glenn Roeder is likely to name club captain Steve Lomas on the substitutes' bench. Joe Cole is in the squad but is unlikely to play any part, while Shaka Hislop should keep his place in goal despite David James' return to fitness...
MATCH BETTING
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Match Result
Charlton5/4Draw11/5West Ham7/4 Correct
Score
Charlton 1-06/1Charlton 2-010/1Charlton 2-115/2Charlton
3-018/1Charlton 3-118/1Charlton 3-225/1Charlton 4-050/1Charlton
4-140/1Charlton 4-266/1Charlton 5-0100/1Charlton 5-1100/1Draw
0-08/1Draw 1-111/2Draw 2-214/1Draw 3-350/1West Ham 1-07/1West Ham
2-012/1West Ham 2-110/1West Ham 3-028/1West Ham 3-122/1West Ham
3-228/1West Ham 4-080/1West Ham 4-180/1West Ham 4-280/1West Ham
5-0100/1West Ham 5-1100/1 Double Result
Charlton/Charlton3/1Charlton/Draw15/1Charlton/West
Ham33/1Draw/Charlton4/1Draw/Draw7/2Draw/West Ham5/1West
Ham/Charlton28/1West Ham/Draw15/1West Ham/West
Ham7/2 First Goalscorer
J Johansson5/1J Euell6/1S Bartlett6/1K Lisbie8/1G
Peacock8/1C Jensen12/1G Stuart12/1Macdonald14/1S Parker16/1M
Kinsella16/1J Robinson16/1P Konchesky25/1M Fish25/1L Young33/1C
Powell33/1A Todd40/1S Brown40/1J Fortune50/1No Goalscorer8/1F
Kanoute11/2P Di Canio6/1J Defoe13/2T Camara8/1S Todorov8/1D
Hutchison10/1J Cole12/1Carrick14/1T Sinclair14/1J
Moncur20/1Courtois20/1Mccann25/1T Repka33/1S Minto33/1R Song33/1R
Soma40/1S Schmemel40/1C Dailly40/1N Winterburn40/1S Potts50/1
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