Southend United come to The Valley on the back of two defeats.

Chris Powell’s side have seen their play-off hopes take a hit in recent weeks so they will be coming to The Valley looking for maximum points to close the 11 point gap between themselves in 12th and the top six.

Powell will also be looking to settle the score from the reverse fixture where Krystian Bielik’s late strike snatched victory for The Addicks before three red cards were shown.

Charlton will also be looking to bounce back from disappointing results at Peterborough and Fleetwood where they picked up just one point.

Charlton’s Head to Head With Southend United

PL:45 W:25 D:10 L:10

Southend United’s League Form: LWLWLL

P:30 W:12 D:2 L:16

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Star Man

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Striker Simon Cox has scored three in his last four appearances and is the Shrimpers only player in double figures for goals.

The former Nottingham Forest, Reading, Bristol City and West Brom man has lead the line for Powell this season and has shown why he has played at international and Premier League level.

Having recently signed a contract extension at the club it’s clear to see that Cox is enjoying his football having spent spells on the sidelines in the higher leagues.

“You have to work harder in League One than everyone else to show them why you have played at a higher level,” he said.

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The Manager

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Chris Powell. He’s seen as a legend at Charlton for both his stints as manager and as a player.

He brings his Southend side to The Valley for the first time looking to get a victory which has eluded them since 1996.

“They lost at Fleetwood and drew away at Peterborough, but they won the game before that and I’m sure they’ll have a fast start and I’m sure they’ll look to put us under pressure.

“The one thing you’ve got to remember is they’ve lost Karlan Grant – a very good young player; Lyle Taylor, he’ll be suspended, and that’s 29 goals out of their team at this present time. But equally, that might be an opportunity for one of their other players to step up.

“They’ve got a decent squad and they’ll be looking to stay up there but we’ve got to care about ourselves. We’ve got to be selfish here, what we think and how we play our games and what we need to do.”