Due to the international break, it has been two weeks since the Addicks were last in action, but Charlton fans will watch their side for £5 this weekend.

It seems like a lifetime ago with all the off field activities and rumours. There has been talk of a Russian takeover, Paul Elliott becoming chairman and on Wednesday, club development officer, Rick Everitt, was sacked.

It is good to get back to matters on the pitch and have a game to concentrate on.

Barnsley is a match Chris Powell would have earmarked as a likely win when the fixtures came out. Perennial favourites for relegation, the Tykes keep defying the odds and are capable of beating anyone on their day. They are a pacy side that Keith Hill has well organised. Like so many in this division, their form is all over the place, so they can be dangerous opponents.

They have lost four of their five away games this season, 3-1 at Wolves, 5-1 at Brighton, 2-1 at Blackburn and 1-0 at Leeds. Their other game was at Birmingham, where they won 5-0!

Barnsley have not won since that game at St Andrews. As well as the defeat at Elland Road, they have drawn and been beaten at Oakwell by Ipswich and Peterborough respectively.

Keith Hill will naturally want to get his side back to winning ways and will fancy his chances, given Charlton’s indifferent form at The Valley.

Chris Powell will have Johnnie Jackson fit again and Danny Green has recivered from the knock he took at Blackpool. The manager will have to decide whether to stick with the 4-5-1 formation that was successful at Bloomfield Road or revert back to his tried and trusted 4-4-2.

Whatever shape he chooses, he will have the luxury of options in several positions. The Valley will be close to capacity with the club making the game one of its ‘Football For A Fiver’ iniatives.

As usual with these games, the club have lined up pre-match entertainment. Charlton supporting soprano, Victoria Stanyon, will perform Nella Fantasia – which many will recognise from the film ‘The Mission’ – as well as Valley Floyd Road.

Local girl Gemma Gibson, who won an Olympic silver medal in judo, will be interviewed on the pitch at half-time.

Powell may decide to take a slightly more adventurous approach and start with two strikers. His problem will be shoe horning his plethora of midfielders into the available spaces.

Danny Green will probably start on the right with Dale Stephens and Abdul Razak as the central pairing. Powell likes to have Jackson in the team, so the skipper may revert to the wide left berth, with Danny Hollands and Salim Kerkar dropping to the bench.

Ben Hamer will continue in goal with an unchanged back-four in front of him. Ricardo Fuller will have appreciated the mini break and is likely to be partnered by Bradley Wright-Phillips at the front, though Powell may be tempted to give Rob Hulse a start.

The Addicks may line-up something like this:

Hamer; Wilson, Cort, Morrison, Solly; Green, Stephens, Razak, Jackson; Fuller, Wright-Phillips.

Subs: Button, Evina, Dervite, Pritchard, Hollands, Kerkar, Hulse.

Mick Russell from Hertfordshire will be the man in charge.

Charlton will be keen to arrest their stuttering home form and put on a decent performance in front of the big crowd. If the defence does its usual solid job, the Addicks may create enough chances for the manager to be able to indulge in his trademark tunnel leap celebration at the end.