Charlton vs Nottingham Forest Predictions

After a blazing start to the new season, Charlton are currently second in the early Championship table. The Addicks may not be backed for consecutive promotions and a return to the top flight, but Lee Bowyer is doing a brilliant job at the Valley. His side head into their second home clash of the new season this week, which pits them against Nottingham Forest. With the hosts in flying form early in the new campaign, we expect them to rack up the goals in another impressive performance at this level.

Charlton were the early favourites for the drop, but seven points from three games go some way to proving what they are capable of at this level. They were held to a 2-2 draw at newly-promoted rivals Barnsley at the weekend, but returning home should bring some joy for the Addicks. They lost just twice at home in the third tier last term, while they have made such a confident start since promotion that they’re a side for Forest to fear.

The visitors come here with a torrid away record behind them, as they have failed to win 14 of their last 15 trips. They were dominated in their trip to Leeds last time out, conceding plenty of chances despite setting up to play on the back foot. They shouldn’t show as much fear against the Addicks, which could lead to more openings for the hosts. They already shipped two goals in their opening clash against West Brom, while their defence could be vulnerable here.

Charlton have won 11 of their last 14 regular-season games, with their hot streak from last season helping them to make a speedy start in the Championship. Their second-tier record so far has seen them score at least twice in each game, while they hit three against a solid Stoke side in their first home clash. We expect more from Charlton going forward here, so we can see them notching twice for the tenth straight league game.

Since the start of last season, Charlton have been awarded 16 penalties in league games, with Lyle Taylor scoring nine of those spot-kicks. Only Luka Milivojevic and John Akinde (10 each) have converted more within England’s top four tiers since August 2018. However, Taylor isn’t just a penalty specialist, he’s scored in the opening three games with just one of those coming from the spot. Having scored in every league game so far, he has now hit nine goals in his last 10 league outings. We’re backing Taylor to make an impact in a game which should see the Addicks get some joy up top. We’re backing Taylor to score anytime in this clash.