Wycombe v Charlton

Test Although a play-off finish would have been considered a great result for Wycombe before a ball had been kicked in 2024/25, the season could have promised so much more. For so long, they found themselves in the automatic promotion places, but ending the campaign with three consecutive defeats saw them sacrifice second spot to Wrexham. That run began with a 4-0 loss to Charlton, so they won’t necessarily be relishing this reunion.

Charlton did once hold top-two aspirations but it always felt they were fighting a losing battle in that regard. Considering they ended the previous season in a rather uninspiring and disappointing 16th, they demonstrated marked improvement to transfer the output of the team.

Manager Nathan Jones, who has been at the helm since February 2024, should confidently be awarded most of the credit for that. They are deemed favourites to progress to the Wembley final over two legs.

⭐ Wycombe v Charlton Best Bet

➡️ Back Wycombe Double Chance & Under 3.5 Goals @ 1.63 with bet365

Some will argue momentum counts for little heading into the play-offs. It ultimately all depends on the circumstances and the fact that Wycombe head into this losing three in a row, which ultimately cost them an automatic promotion spot, means they’ll still have big regrets in the back of their minds.

Things just haven’t quite been the same since manager Matt Bloomfield left for Luton Town in January. In fact, since Mike Dodds has been at the Adams Park helm, Wanderers have failed to win more games than they’ve won, which isn't great for a side battling for promotion.

As for Charlton, if the season were to extend for a handful more matches, they’d have been more significant automatic promotion contenders. The form guide of the last 15 League One games has The Addicks in second position behind title winners Birmingham, they lost only twice in that period.

It is still likely to be something of a close game here, mainly due to the fine defensive record these teams possess. This is a top six battle in terms of the best defences in the division. Also, only Wigan have seen a smaller average goals per game return for their League One home fixtures. 15 of their 23 regulation season clashes ended below 2.5 goals.

👕 Wycombe v Charlton Predicted XI

🔍 Wycombe v Charlton Players to Watch

🔵 Richard Kone

Kone is Wycombe’s top league scorer this season, he sits on 18 goals and only two other players have managed more at this level in 2024/25. However, it might surprise plenty to know that out of all Wanderers players, Kone tops the list in relation to most fouls committed in league action.

Continuing on the attacking theme for a second, the 21-year-old is currently enduring an eight-match streak without scoring. However, he has taken 21 shots in that period, so it would be fair to say he has been receiving the service. This has coincided with a dip in form for his team, but he should thrive in the play-off situation on the big occasion. Exactly 40% of his shots in the league have indeed hit the target.

The Ivory Coast forward only has four yellow cards to his name, which comes as a surprise considering the regularity of his rate of conceding fouls recently. In the Peterborough game a few months ago, he made a huge six fouls in one match, he receive a card on that occasion. Since the start of December 2024, Kone has made a minimum of two fouls in 11 matches, which is a significant amount. With the stakes even higher now, emotions will be enhanced even further.

➡️ Back Richard Kone to have 1+ Shots on Target & Commit 2+ Fouls @ 2.50 with bet365

🔴 Conor Coventry

No player has started more games for Charlton in League One this season than central midfielder Conor Coventry. The Irishman has only missed two league fixtures all season, which highlights his importance to the team. Considering he has more yellow cards and has made the most fouls out of anyone in the Addicks squad, it is amazing he hasn’t missed more games.

What is pretty apparent is that he has a particular job to do for the team both in and out of possession. He is the enforcer to the team that will progress and supply the ball for the forwards to do their thing. Also, he is expected to get stuck into the action, break up play and protect his defence. He does this better than most at this level. As a consequence, he will indeed commit offences, but he’ll also enjoy successes in his duels.

In 23 of his 44 league appearances, he has made a minimum of two fouls. There is no reason to suggest he’ll now suddenly shy away just because the play-offs are here.

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📂 Wycombe v Charlton Cheat Sheet

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For more insight on this match, look out for our Wycombe v Charlton Betting Stats, we have weekend Gem Bets live too.

💻 Wycombe v Charlton Form and Tactics

Wycombe may have lost three in a row, but the respective xG returns in those contests may offer them some solace. When losing 3-1 to Stockport last time out, the Chairboys actually won the xG battle 2.19-2.15. Also, when losing 4-0 to play-off opponents Charlton in a normal league match, the xG may have still had them as second best, but the 1.42-0.28 at least states it was a little closer. In this mini sequence, they also had a minimum of 8.00 shots per game, however, this is below their overall season average of 11.37 shots per clash.

As well as actually holding one of the best xG’s in League One, yet further proof of how effective they are at working the ball forward is demonstrated in another category. Only league champions Birmingham have managed more touches in the opposition box than Wanderers. They do this despite averaging only a mid-table level amount of ball possession (50.1%). It is somewhat puzzling, as they’re ranked 15th in the league for accurate passes per game. Second balls and winning personal duels, therefore, could be key to any success they have in this battle.

Charlton have kept 20 league clean sheets this season, which can only be bettered by the top two, Birmingham and Wrexham. This partly explains their strong defensive record, but also why they have only made an average of 1.80 goalkeeper saves. They protect their goal incredibly well, meaning Wycombe may get limited scoring opportunities of their own. Athletic are also ranked sixth in the league for number of crosses, so they won’t pass up the chance to swing in deliveries on a regular basis to ask questions of the opposition defence.

Nathan Jones’ side are certainly encouraged not to sit off whoever they face for too long. They look to make the most of their physicality to almost intimidate their way to a good result. That is because only Mansfield have made more fouls than them in League One, despite their success in reaching the play-offs. Charlton averaged 13.1 fouls per match.

🏁 Wycombe v Charlton Ref Watch

• Referee: Farai Hallam

• Stats are on a per 90 basis and are taken from Hallam's games in all competitions (30 total)

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* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.