It’s a tight Championship season so far, but newly promoted Charlton are doing better than a lot of people expected.

They currently sit ninth in the table under former Luton boss Nathan Jones’s stewardship and come into this one off the back of a win against beleaguered Sheffield Wednesday. They’ve also beaten Blackburn, Sheffield United and Watford, which puts them on 15 points in total.

You know what you’re going to get from a Nathan Jones side. They’re compact, they’ll defend deep, but they’re not short of a goal or two going forward.

Their transfer business has been similar to Town’s last season where they’ve bought a bunch of players who were successful at League One level last season to complement their squad. This won’t be a walkover.

Goalkeepers

Thomas Kaminski was at one point linked to a Premier League move following his form in that division with Luton, form that saw him win a cap for Belgium, but last season he went from hero to zero with -6.02 goals prevented, such is the life of a goalkeeper.

That made it a risky signing when Charlton picked him up this summer but under the stewardship of the defensively stable manager Jones, he has already kept four clean sheets and conceded just seven goals.

His back-up is 28-year-old Australian Ashley Maynard-Brewer who has been at Charlton his whole career, while their League One keeper Will Mannion is also still at the club. Those two have shared game time in the Carabao Cup.

Defenders

Ex-Blues loanee James Bree has started his loan spell at the Valley from Southampton on fire with two goals and two assists in his first four games as a flying right wing-back. He joins the former Luton contingent already at the club, Kaminski and Amari’i Bell, to form a backline that will know each other well.

Bell is a versatile defender and can play anywhere across the backline. He slotted in on the other side from Bree against Derby having previously been playing as the left centre-back.

It was another versatile defender who came into that position when he moved wider in Macauley Gillesphey. The former Plymouth player has had to bide his time this season but came off the bench to score against Blackburn, having replaced the injured Josh Edwards.

That shifted Kayne Ramsey out to left wing-back, a position that we’ve already seen a lot of naturally right-footed players face Town in so far this season.

The 24-year-old is back in the Championship following his release by Southampton after a two-year spell at Harrogate Town. He featured 32 times in League One last season.

In the middle of the back three for the majority of the season has been Lloyd Jones. He’s having a superb season and is one of only four players to rate highly for tackles, interceptions, clearances and blocks

That Hatters connection continues with Reece Burke, another picked up in the Luton fire sale to come in and fill the hybrid right-back role. He slotted in at centre-back in a five against Preston and nodded in from a deep free-kick against Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend.

The last member of the backline is Joe Rankin-Costello, another new signing but this time from Blackburn. The former central midfielder now spends most of his time at right-back but hasn’t seen much time on the pitch recently being limited to three sub appearances and two starts in the Carabao Cup.

Midfield

Whilst there has been lots of chopping and changing in defence, the midfield pairing has been consistent across all 10 games, Conor Coventry and Greg Docherty.

The duo are definitely strong at winning the ball back in the midfield area with 41 ball wins in that area between them. Docherty also has two assists to his name in his last four games.

Ahead of them is Sonny Carey, who joined from League One Blackpool in the summer following an eight-goal haul for the Tangerines last season. He already has three for his new club and is a threat when he’s on his game. The flip side of that is that he can fade away in games that are not going his way.

Thirty-three-year-old Luke Berry provides cover in central midfield while Harvey Knibbs, who was one of League One’s standout players at Reading last season with 14 goals, and six assists, is a more attacking option. Despite scoring on his debut, he has struggled to make the step up a level.

Jamaican Karoy Anderson, 21, is the other option in central midfield but will have done his case for more game time harm by getting sent off in the Carabao Cup against Cambridge.

Forwards

With 6ft 6in tall target man Miles Leaburn currently out of favour, it’s been left to the young duo of Charlie Kelman and Tyreece Campbell to lead the line.

US native Kelman is another player that did well in League One last season with 21 goals on loan at Leyton Orient. That resulted in Charlton making a big money move to take him from QPR, but he has so far not shown that he’s able to cut it at Championship level.

Versatile Jamaican Campbell is an academy graduate and featured heavily on both wings last season, so playing as part of a front two is a new role for him and one that doesn’t necessarily get the best out of him.

It’s a surprise Leaburn isn’t playing given his physical attributes are more suited to the rough and tumble of Championship football, but previous injury issues and his young age could be the reason he’s being eased back in this season. If he does start this one, he will certainly be a handful.

The other options for the attacking line are the experienced Matt Godden, Isaac Olaofe, who signed in the summer after a nine-goal season with Stockport, and a player more famous for his YouTube antics than his actual footballing ability in Onel Hernandez.

The Teams

I was not expecting an unchanged line-up against Middlesbrough, so I'm not sure how this one is going to go. There will be one enforced change this time with Azor Matusiwa picking up five bookings, which could mean an entirely new midfield make-up of Jack Taylor and Marcelino Nunez.

I think Cedric Kipre is more suited than Jacob Greaves for this one, but I thought Greaves was more suited for Middlesbrough, so I’m going to stick with the big Ivorian.

I also think away games are better suited to Chuba Akpom and Kasey McAteer, so I’m going with the three behind the striker being unchanged, but I think we definitely should see a change up front and give Ivan Azon a chance to lead the line at home.

Charlton kept a consistent team selection on Saturday afternoon, so I'd expect some rotation for this one. Leaburn for Campbell is the most likely change.

Prediction

A first Tuesday night match under the lights of the season. A setting where Town have done well in recent history with the 3-0 victory at Hull coming immediately to mind.

Charlton will frustrate and defend deep, so an early goal is crucial. A much-improved performance from Middlesbrough is needed and that usually happens from a Kieran McKenna side after a defeat, so I'm going for a 3-0 victory.

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