Charlton v Hull

CHARLTON will be without skipper and talisman Andy Reid for six weeks while top-scorer Chris Iwelumo (ankle), China captain Zheng Zhi (calf), fellow midfielder Darren Ambrose (groin) and striker Luke Varney (illness)are all doubtful for Saturday's home game against Hull.

Reid's loss plus the possible absence of four more key players could not have come at a worse time for the promotion-chasing Addicks ahead of the testing Christmas and New Year fixture schedule.

Manager Alan Pardew has handed the captain's armband to midfielder Matt Holland for Saturday's match.

"Losing Andy on top of Svetoslav Todorov is a big blow for this club," said Pardew.

"He suffered damage to medial knee ligaments making a block tackle at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday and though no surgery is necessary it will take six weeks to clear up.

"And I would say that's a conservative estimate. You certainly don't want to lose your flair players at this time of the season. But it's not something that the squad can't withstand.

"Our supporters will see a different look to our side against Hull, though I'm not prepared to go into too much detail."