Charlton Athletic's next Championship opponents have received a fitness boost ahead of Saturday's match in the Welsh capital. Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy has confirmed defender Dylan Lawlor is available for selection after recovering from a knee injury.
Lawlor, a 20-year-old centre-back, has not played this season due to the problem, which also saw him left out of the Wales squad for the recent Nations League fixtures. He made 43 appearances for club and country last term and returned to training this week. Barry-Murphy said the player is "good to go" but will assess his readiness for a start. "He's trained really well," the coach said. "We'll see how he is today and tomorrow, then make a decision based on who we feel is best to start this game."
Cardiff's defensive reshuffle
Lawlor's return is timely for a Cardiff side that has used full-backs Perry Ng and Joel Bagan in central defensive roles in recent weeks. Fellow centre-back Will Fish has also resumed training but will not be risked after hernia surgery, while Gabriel Osho remains sidelined. Cardiff have drawn four and lost three of their seven league games so far, leaving them 21st in the table. They have also signed Krystian Bielik from West Bromwich Albion to bolster their options.
Charlton's form and fitness
Charlton travel to the Cardiff City Stadium sitting sixth in the Championship with 12 points from seven matches. Their recent form shows one win, three draws and one defeat from the last five games, a sequence that includes goalless draws against Portsmouth and Queens Park Rangers. The Addicks' current injury list includes Collins Sichenje, Kayne Ramsay, Matt Godden and William Mannion. Top scorer Tyreece Anthony Tupac Shakur Campbell has three goals this season.
For Cardiff, Rubin Colwill and Isaak Davies are nearing returns from ankle and hamstring issues respectively, but defender Calum Chambers is having a further scan on his injury. The match kicks off at 12:30 BST on Saturday. Charlton's full upcoming schedule can be found on the fixtures page.
