Charlton Athletic will once again put their unbeaten league record on the line when they host Middlesbrough at The Valley this Saturday.

The Addicks are one of just two teams yet to taste defeat in the Championship this season, with new manager Bob Peeters working wonders with a side that was embroiled in a fierce relegation scrap last term.

Despite their unbeaten record, however, Charlton are down in eighth place in the league table, with five of their eight outings ending all square so far.

Even so, the character and resilience shown by Peeters's side thus far suggests that they will be well equipped should they slide down the table and face another battle against the drop in the latter stages of the campaign.

They come into this match on the back of consecutive draws, while they have shared the spoils in four of their last five league outings.

Things have been a little more clear cut at The Valley, however, with Charlton having won four and drawn one of their five home matches in all competitions so far this season.

Middlesbrough, meanwhile, are in fine form of their own in the league having picked up three consecutive victories to rise into the playoff positions.

The latest of those saw them hammer Brentford 4-0 at the Riverside, a result that made it consecutive clean sheets in the league as well.

That sort of consistency will be key if Aitor Karanka's side are to push for the playoffs this season, but fatigue could also play a part this weekend following a remarkable League Cup tie against Liverpool on Tuesday.

Boro pushed the Reds the distance at Anfield, playing out a 1-1 draw in normal time before netting a 120th-minute equaliser to force a penalty shootout that saw 30 spot kicks taken and 27 scored before Albert Adomah fired wide to hand Liverpool the win.

Karanka can have no complaints with his side's commitment and desire, and the performance will arguably increase their confidence despite the fact that they were eliminated from the competition.

The Spaniard could make a number of changes from that match, however, with the starting XI more likely to be closer to the side that thrashed Brentford last weekend.

Recent form

Charlton: DDWDLD

Middlesbrough: DWWWLW

Possible starting lineups

Charlton: Henderson; Solly, Ben Haim, Bikey, Wiggins; Gudmundsson, Buyens, Jackson, Cousins; Moussa, Vetokele

Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos; Fredericks, Omeruo, Gibson, Friend; Reach, Leadbitter, Adomah, Bamford, Nsue; Kike

Sports Mole says: 0-0

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