With the season delayed due to the Olympics, the first round of the Capital One Cup is staged before the league season kicks-off.
This will give managers up and down the land a question to ponder, do they field the weakened teams they usually do in the competition, or treat the game as a dress rehearsal for Saturday?
Chris Powell may well go for the latter option so the Valley faithful should see a strong line-up. Ben Hamer is the first choice keeper and Chris Solly and Rhoys Wiggins were two of last season’s star performers.
Leon Cort forced himself in front of Matt Taylor as Michael Morrison’s central defensive partner at the end of the season and may start as first choice.
Powell seems to favour the energy and neat passing of Pritchard, above the endeavour of Wagstaff or the trickery of Green, whose future may be away from The Valley.
After experimenting with various formations in pre-season, the manager may opt for his favoured 4-4-2. Skipper, Johnnie Jackson, will be on the left and Dale Stephens will probably claim one of the central berths. Danny Hollands’ toe operation has left him behind the others in terms of fitness but Powell will be anxious to have him available for the tough trip to St Andrews. Salim Kerkar offers a more attacking threat but Hollands’ need for game time, plus Powell probably wanting to utilise a cautious approach at Birmingham, will probably see Hollands get the nod.
Cult hero, Yann Kermorgant, will lead the line, probably in tandem with Bradley Wright-Phillips. With Danny Haynes injured, Powell may be reluctant to risk Wright-Phillips’ knees but he may have little alternative.
Leon Clarke and Paul Hayes are free to leave the club and the manager may decide not to put either of them on the bench.
The Addicks could look like this:
Hamer; Solly, Cort, Morrison, Wiggins; Pritchard, Stephens, Hollands, Jackson; Kermorgant, Wright-Phillips.
Subs: Sullivan, Wilson, Taylor, Wagstaff, Green, Kerkar, Cook.
The referee will be Surrey’s Gavin Ward, who took charge of the warm-up game at Crawley.
Powell will be expecting his team to go to St Amdrews on Saturday buoyed by a win.