It may seem early for a relegation six-pointer, but that is exactly what the Championship clash between Blackburn and Charlton represents, with the pair sitting dangerously close to the drop zone.
Both have endured a miserable festive period, each failing to win any of their last three games, and the struggling pair could be hard to split at Ewood Park on Sunday.
Team news
A lengthy Blackburn injury list is made up of Andri Gudjohnsen, Hayden Carter, Jake Garrett, Adam Forshaw, Scott Wharton, Sidnei Tavares, Ryoya Morishita, Augustus Kargbo and Kristi Montgomery.
Ryan Alebiosu is also away with Nigeria, while Matty Litherland and Ryan Hedges are doubts for the home side.
Joshua Edwards, Matty Godden, Kayne Ramsey and Onel Hernandez make up Charlton’s much shorter absentee list.
The stats
Blackburn have lost just one of their last four home games, and Charlton have lost five of their last six away matches.
Eight of Rovers’ last nine games have featured fewer than three goals, and five of Blackburn’s last eight matches have finished level.
Charlton won September’s reverse fixture 3-0.
Both teams to score has landed in five of the Addicks’ last seven games.
Prediction
Three points for either of these sides would go a long way in their respective fights against relegation, but neither are likely to land a first success of 2026 on Sunday.
Blackburn are one of the biggest xG underperformers in the Championship, having scored just 22 goals despite an expected-goals figure of 33.0, and their poor finishing makes them hard to trust.
Charlton, meanwhile, will be buoyed by their 1-1 draw with leaders Coventry on New Year’s Day, but they tend to fare much worse away from The Valley, losing five of their last six on the road.
Both are partial to a stalemate, too, with Blackburn drawing five of their last eight games and the Addicks seeing two of their last five finish level, so the draw makes serious appeal.
Given Charlton’s travel troubles, home advantage should help Blackburn.
However, they are still yet to find the net since losing Gudjohnsen, son of Iceland legend Eidur, to injury, with that unlikely to change this weekend.
Nathan Jones is a master at frustrating teams, and his plucky Addicks can earn another important point as they bid to avoid an immediate return to League One.
