Pundit backs Charlton Athletic to defeat Wycombe Wanderers in play-off second leg on one condition

Charlton Athletic have been backed to beat Wycombe Wanderers in the second leg of their League One play-off semi-final, but only if they make a key change. The Addicks played out a closely-fought battle in the first leg, drawing 0-0 away from home, setting up an exciting second leg at The Valley.

Charlton boss Nathan Jones said after the game: “We come away from the tie evenly poised. I’m not saying we would have taken it as we always want more, but to come away from here with another clean sheet is not a bad place to be in. It was always going to be a different game from last time [we played them three weeks ago] as there are pressures when you are involved in these sorts of games.

“I am proud of my team because we showed resilience against one of the highest goal scorers in the league, but I would have liked us to have played and created a bit more. Wycombe are a very good side as they did well to keep a striker like Matty Godden off the scoresheet, but you need to win your home game to get to Wembley.”

The clear-cut chances were few and far between in the first leg, with each side having one good chance each, and that’s something Wycombe boss Mike Dodds acknowledged, saying: “They were so aggressive in the first phase that we didn’t want to give them momentum. This is why we decided not to pass in front of them.

“Everyone contributed to what they needed to do today, and even though it was messy at times, I felt we landed on the second ball better. This was something we didn’t do in the first game [on April 21], and we spoke about this at length. When we looked at Charlton, we looked at the nuts and bolts of what we needed to do, and we managed to nullify their threats.

“Both teams cancelled each other out, but when that happens, you need a moment. We had that huge chance with Dan Udoh early on, which was big, and they had a big chance, but Will [Norris] saved it at the end. So as I had imagined, the game went as I had planned, as Nathan Jones’ teams are always well organised.”

Charlton vs Wycombe second leg prediction

Former EFL player Sam Parkin has issued his prediction for the second leg, and he believes an ‘obvious’ change is the key to the Addicks winning the game. “There is Thierry Small coming back in for Charlton, who is the kind of right winger, right wing-back hybrid”, Parkin said on the Playoff Predictions Show.

“I think that is the obvious change for Charlton. [I am] not saying he is going to be the player to score or assist, but I think one or two changes for Nathan Jones could just swing it in his favour. For that reason I will go for a 1-0, and I will go for Lloyd Jones and Gillespie over the two legs to get the better of Kone, who was better last night [Sunday] but still cutting a bit of a frustrating figure.”

Small had been struggling with injury heading into the first leg, and with minutes off the bench in his legs, he should have a better chance of being fit enough to start this time around.

Your next Charlton read, Charlton Athletic vs Wycombe Wanderers early injury news as 3 out