Fulham's 4-1 win over 10-man Reading last time out has taken the title-chasing Cottagers up to fifth in the Championship, just three points off surprise league leaders Swansea City.

Meanwhile, Charlton Athletic were narrowly beaten by the table-topping Welsh outfit and the newly-promoted side drop down to eighth after a strong start to the campaign that few had predicted.

Match preview

Following Fulham's relegation from the Premier League and Charlton's promotion from League One via the playoffs, most would have expected these two sides to be at opposite ends of the table.

However, a point and three places is all that separates the two clubs with 10 games played, as Fulham have not quite lived up to the hype, while Charlton have exceeded all expectations.

The Cottagers will still harbour dreams of an immediate return to the top flight, however, and victory in this London derby would see them keep pace with their promotion rivals.

Additionally, both of their two league defeats came in August, and, following a trio of 1-1 draws in tricky fixtures, they have recorded back-to-back wins in their last two games to end a five-match winless run and hoist themselves up the table.

The positive results have eased some of the pressure on Scott Parker, who was the third manager to be handed the reins at Fulham in a disastrous season that saw them relegated at the first time of asking.

Slavisa Jokanovic was axed after a poor start to the campaign, and Claudio Ranieri was unable to turn things around before Parker was appointed, and the former midfielder appears to have been afforded more patience than his predecessors.

Charlton, on the other hand, are beginning to fade away. Unbeaten in August, the newly-promoted outfit have lost three of their last four games to slide out of the playoff places.

However, Lee Bowyer is not under pressure to guide his team to successive promotions, and if they go on to survive comfortably in their first year back in England's second tier, it will be considered a successful season.

Fulham form: LDDDWW

Charlton form: WWLLWL

Team News

Parker has a full complement to choose from, with no fresh injury concerns to consider and may stick with the same side that cruised past Reading.

Bowyer, however, has a rather lengthier list of unavailable players. Strikers Lyle Taylor and Tomer Hemed remain out, alongside midfielder Beram Kayal and defender Lewis Page.

Chuks Aneke and Ben Purrington are doubts too, having picked up groin issues after being involved against Swansea.

Purrington's injury is particularly concerning for Charlton, who would be left without a senior left-back if he was unable to feature.

Fulham possible starting lineup:
Bettinelli; Odoi, Mawson, Ream, Bryan; Arter, Johansen; Knockaert, Cairney, Reid; Mitrovic

Charlton possible starting lineup:
Phillips; Matthews, Lockyer, Pearce, Purrington; Cullen, Field; Gallagher, Oztumer, Leko; Bonne

We say: Fulham 2-0 Charlton

Fulham have a very strong record against Charlton, having not lost in their last 10 meetings across all competitions. Couple that with the fact that Charlton are experiencing a dip in form and may be without a senior left-back, and all the signs point to a home win for the Cottagers.