Cheltenham Town host Charlton Athletic in the EFL Cup first round, a straight knockout tie needing a winner on the night. CheckLive has no clear favourite here, which reflects how evenly matched these two sides look at this stage of the season.
Cheltenham’s recent form is mixed: they lost 0-2 to Milton Keynes Dons and 1-4 to Colchester United, beat Evesham United 3-0, then lost 0-4 to Bristol Rovers and 1-3 to Tranmere Rovers. Charlton have been in pre-season mode, with wins over Colchester United and Gillingham, a draw with NK Maribor, and defeats to Reading and AFC Wimbledon.
The head-to-head is tight, with six previous meetings and two wins apiece plus two draws. The most recent was in March 2024, when Charlton won 1-3 at Cheltenham in League One. With both teams still finding their rhythm, this could easily go either way, and a draw before extra time would be no surprise.
