Charlton Athletic v Manchester United

MANAGER Alan Curbishley has described Charlton’s next four fixtures against Manchester United, Aston Villa, Blackburn and Manchester City as “big, big games".

Curbishley sends his side out against United at The Valley on Saturday knowing the test of a successful team is how they respond to defeat.

Following successive setbacks against Bolton and Blackburn, Charlton’s boss has demanded a big response from his players.

He admitted: “The next four are big, big games for us. If we can pick points up then we’ll stay where we are. If we don’t then we’ll be on a run of defeats.”

Charlton have seldom prospered against Manchester United, who are likely to include Wayne Rooney in their line-up, and Curbishley is hoping supporters can help assist in a reversal of fortunes.

He explained: “We haven’t done anything against Manchester United for so long in terms of results. So we have to treat Saturday as though it was a cup tie.

“At the moment the crowd are waiting for us because they are bit apprehensive. We can’t wait for them, so from the first minute on Saturday we’re going to have to make sure it’s game-on and let everybody know.”