Doncaster to go down fighting at the Valley
Doncaster bagged a late goal in a game that Charlton dominated but will the Addicks live to regret it?
First-leg thoughts
How Doncaster are still in this tie is one of life’s great mysteries. Despite a decent start, they were quickly on the back-foot against an in-form and confident Charlton outfit.
Grant McCann has done a terrific job sealing a play-off spot for Donny but it was always going to be a big ask for his side to take on one of the best footballing outfits in the division over two legs.
They remain in touching distance thanks Matty Blair’s header but until the goal, they were struggling to maintain any sort of parity.
Charlton came into the game having won seven of their last eight in League One and would have been confident of making it a step further than last season’s play-off semi-final.
It didn’t take long for them to assert that dominance with Lyle Taylor stooping to head home after Doncaster failed to clear a cross. Taylor has been a terrific player since joining in the summer and his goal scoring is aided by a high work rate and decent vision.
He would set up the second, though Doncaster defending left a lot to be desired. The striker fed Joe Aribo who beat Marosi all too easily to make it 2-0.
It seemed only a matter of time before they added to it but Doncaster hung in there and now return to the Valley with the hope that they can turn it around.
Winning the midfield battle
The first-leg highlighted how important it is for Doncaster to win the midfield battle. They really struggled to deal with the skill and pace of Joe Aribo and the energy of young starlet Albie Morgan.
Josh Cullen also produced a master class of passing that Doncaster had no answer for. Only James Coppinger showed the ability to match the Addick trio but he will need more support at the Valley if McCann’s side are to turn the tide.
Marquis vs Taylor
Charlton coped well with the threat of John Marquis in the first-leg and they will need to do so again on Friday. The striker has had an impressive couple of seasons scoring 39 goals in all competitions and stopping him should be enough to get the job done for Charlton.
Doncaster will have to do the same to Lyle Taylor. The striker imposed himself too easily in the first-leg and if he is allowed to do the same at the Valley then Donny’s season will certainly not end at Wembley.
Charlton v Doncaster betting tip
There will be goals on Friday as Doncaster will have to come out to try and attack. This will leave space for Lee Bowyer’s side to exploit and exploit it they will. With that in mind, backing both teams to score at odds of 19/20 is almost sure to be a winner but will it be Donny delight on Friday night?
