The omens seem to favour the Addicks currently; Peter Taylor is without nine of his first team players whereas Phil Parkinson's Charlton side are expected to be relatively unchanged from the team that finished the last campaign.
New number one Rob Elliott will be looking to keep his childhood Charlton dream alive by stopping everything that comes his way.
The back four are likely to be Frazer Richardson, Miguel Llera, Christian Daily, and Kelly Youga.
The midfield is where there is most competition in the Charlton squad still. It's believed Parky will favour Semedo and Racon in the middle, with Skipper Nicky Bailey on the Left, Lloyd Sam (who's had a brilliant pre season) on the right and Jonjo (I don't want to go to Chelsea, I want to play football) Shelvey either just in front of the four midfielders or as a second striker to the front man.
The beloved Charlton front man is never an easy position to play. You are either brilliant like Darren Bent, or vilified like Marcus Bent.
Many expect Deon Burton to start the game as the lone striker, however with Andy Gray available after injury and a much stronger player as a whole Parkinson may genuinely send out the strongest eleven to try and send a message to the league.
With seven subs allowed on the bench this year it's also believed that Yado Mambo will find a place in the squad alongside the likes of Chris Solly and Scott Wagstaff.
Here's my predicted team for today's game:
GK: Eliott
LB: Youga
RB: Richardson
CB: Llera
CB: Dailly
LM: Bailey (c)
CM: Racon
CM: Semedo
RM: Sam
SS: Shelvey
CF: Gray
Subs: Randolph, Mambo, Solly, Wagstaff, Spring, Burton, McLeod
A minutes applause will be held before today's fixture in honour of the passing of Bobby Robson and Addicks 1947 FA Cup winner Burt Johnson. The players will wear black armbands during the game.
Come on you Addicks!