Gillingham vs Charlton Preview
The FA Cup second round proper gets underway this weekend. Gillingham defeated Hereford, a sixth-tier team, 2-0 in the previous round to set up a date with Charlton Athletic. Both teams have met each other many times, but this is the first time they will clash in the FA Cup.
The Gills are not faring badly in League Two after 20 rounds of matches. They sit seventh on 31 points, within the qualifying play-offs bracket, as they push to make a return to League One. Gillingham lost 3-1 to Charlton when they last met. Their last victory over the visitors (3-2) took place in February 2021.
Charlton had to go through a replay to overcome Cray Valley Paper Mills in the first round. The visitors, who ply their trade in League One, were held to a 1-1 draw by the eighth-tier outfit in their first clash. However, Charlton prevailed in style, winning 6-1 in the replay to book their place in the second round.
The Addicks are one-time winners of the FA Cup, but that success happened 76 years ago (1946-47). In the previous edition, they were knocked out at this stage (second round) by League Two side Stockport County following a replay. Charlton will take confidence from their favorable head-to-head stats against Gillingham.
Gillingham will hope to stretch their home streak to three wins in a row following their previous victories against Wimbledon and Salford. However, the hosts have a lot to fix in their defense. They have scored 19 league goals and conceded 26, leaving them with a negative goal difference of -7.
Charlton will be looking to maintain their unbeaten run beyond this stage of the competition. They have not tasted a loss in their last seven matches in all competitions. Charlton come into the match as the favorites based on form and experience.
Prediction: Gillingham 1-3 Charlton
