Charlton v Leyton Orient

Wembley Stadium, based in North West London, is the perfect setting for this all-London League One Play-Off Final between Charlton Athletic and Leyton Orient, who are located in South East and East London respectively. A place in the Championship is on the line and a nervy occasion is anticipated. That is because although the Addicks won the two league meetings over the season, the margin of victory was only by one-goal each time.

Both teams also negotiated extremely close semi-final contests. Charlton got beyond Wycombe Wanderers thanks to a 1-0 aggregate triumph, whereas Richie Wellens’ team required penalties to knock out Stockport (after the two-legged affair ended 3-3 on aggregate).

Nathan Jones’ men are considered pre-match favourites to get the job done inside 90 minutes in this showpiece event. They are seeking a return to the English second tier following a five-year absence. As for their opponents, Orient are aiming to jump into the Championship for the first time since the early 1980s.

⭐ Charlton v Leyton Orient Best Bet

➡️ Over 3.5 Cards @ 1.83 with bet365

This is the game for both Charlton and Leyton Orient. Absolutely everything will be put on the line to try and secure a spot in the Championship after a gruelling League One season.

It should be an emotional occasion and it would be no shock if referee Andrew Kitchen issued some cards. In one of the earlier season head-to-head meetings, five bookings were handed out.

Charlton concede an average of 13.1 fouls per league game this season, which is the joint-highest in the league, so they’re normally a decent shout to receive cards when they play.

We all saw how emotional manager Nathan Jones was in the last game and his passion on the touchline easily spills out onto the pitch to his players. They play in the spirit of him. Also, Leyton Orient are the 3rd-most yellow carded side in the division, with Charlton sitting 8th in that category.

👕 Charlton v Leyton Orient Predicted XI

🔍 Charlton v Leyton Orient Players to Watch

🔴 Matt Godden

➡️ Matt Godden - Over 0.5 Shots on Target & Over 0.5 Fouls Committed @ 1.86 with bet365 ↔️

Godden is very much the main man at Charlton and is certainly one of the top strikers in League One. He certainly wouldn’t look out of place in the Championship and will be aiming to play a key role in earning his side promotion at Wembley. This is a player who has returned nine goals over his previous 12 appearances, including the all-important goal in the previous match to take his side to this showpiece event.

This took his goal tally for the season to 20 in all competitions, thus proving his importance to the team. That strike v Wycombe was his only effort on target in the semi-final second leg, however, it meant it was a 10th straight match in which he has hit the target.

Not only is he a big goal threat, but he is an all-action type. The 33-year-old is no shrinking violet and is more than prepared to get stuck into the action. He has fouled in all of his last 10. Only once in 15 has Godden not fouled.

⚪ Charlie Kelman

➡️ Charlie Kelman - Over 0.5 Shots on Target & Over 0.5 Fouls Committed @ 2.49 with bet365 ↔️

What Matt Godden is to Charlton is exactly what Charlie Kelman is to Leyton Orient, and probably even a little bit more. The on-loan Queens Park Rangers striker is the top scorer in League One.

Without his goals, Orient would not have achieved the unexpected season they’ve enjoyed. He’ll have one more match for the club to try and get them into the Championship for the first time. Kelman netted twice over the two vital play-off semi-final contests against Stockport, meaning he has netted 12 across his last 13 matches.

Kelman is also deadly in relation to his accuracy when indeed having his shots. This is proven by the fact the last time he failed to register a shot on target in a match he started was the 2-0 home defeat to eventual champions Birmingham in the last week of February. He had a valid excuse for that considering he was subbed off after 16 minutes. Still, a shot on target in 14 of his previous 15 makes for impressive reading.

Something less impressive is the rate at which the 23-year-old is committing fouls, particularly more recently as the pressure intensifies game-to-game. Only in three of his last 18 appearances has he failed to commit a foul. This is a player who wears his heart on his sleeve, and with everything on the line here, he will no doubt showcase those characteristics once more.

📂 Charlton v Leyton Orient Cheat Sheet

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💻 Charlton v Leyton Orient Form and Tactics

Charlton completed a league double over Leyton Orient this season, with late goals being the common theme in both of those contests. In fact, Charlton scored all three of their goals in those encounters beyond the 90th minute.

These were warranted victories as well based upon the xG they created on the day.

There is a general impression that Charlton are quite a direct team in their style of play. That is true to a degree, however, the fact they only average 24.1 accurate long passes per game suggests they’re not all too impressive in that style.

This is because that figure is ranked 12th out of the 24 League One clubs. What the club from The Valley won’t shy away from is putting crosses into the box. They average 5.00 accurate deliveries per game across the league season, which is amongst the top-six at the level.

A big part of Leyton Orient’s tactical plan will be to press high and regain the ball in these areas if possible. They are one of the more successful teams in League One at doing so. The O’s average 4.5 possessions won in the final third per game.

However, Orient have kept only three clean sheets across their previous 19 in the league, meaning this high pressing approach has not been so successful of late, particularly when opponents get beyond this press and progress up the pitch.

Although the lack of recent clean sheets may concern Richie Wellens, his argument against that is that the team continue to score goals, just as they have done all season. His team ended the regular season with only runaway champions Birmingham netting more goals than them.

One handy route to goal they’ve utilised really well is counter-attacks, as they are joint-top in League One for scoring in this fashion. Even so, they’re still ranked in the top-seven for highest average possession with 51.9%, so they’re more likely to enjoy sustained periods of the ball in this battle, which will be key considering the size of the Wembley pitch.

🏁 Charlton v Leyton Orient Ref Watch

• Referee: Andrew Kitchen

• Stats are on a per game basis and are taken from 2024/25 games in all competitions (29 total)

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* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.