Since beating Wrexham over two legs in the 1988-89 fourth tier play-offs, Leyton Orient have lost their last three Football League play-off finals. This is their first since a penalty defeat against Rotherham United in League One in 2013-14.

Including the 1986-87 play-off final against Leeds which secured their top-flight survival, Charlton have won each of their three Football League play-off finals (also 1997-98 and 2018-19); the joint-best 100% success rate in such finals, alongside Peterborough United.

This will be only the third Football League play-off final contested between two teams from London, after Crystal Palace beat West Ham United in 2003-04 and Fulham beat Brentford in 2019-20, both in the second tier.

Charlton won both of their regular season league matches against Leyton Orient, 1-0 at home and 2-1 away – seven teams have headed into a League One play-off final having done the double over their opponent and five have won promotion, though the most recent side lost (Barnsley vs Sheffield Wednesday in 2022-23).

Leyton Orient won their first two games at Wembley Stadium, beating Brentford and Southend in 1930 in the third division south. Since then, they’re winless in three at the stadium (D1 L2), with two of those being a Football League play-off final (0-1 v Scunthorpe in 1998-99, 2-2 v Rotherham in 2013-14, lost on penalties).

Charlton Athletic have won each of their last three major finals played at Wembley Stadium, a run starting with the 1947 FA Cup final (1-0 vs Burnley) and continuing thanks to play-off final wins over Sunderland in the second tier in 1997-98 (7-6 on pens) and in the third tier in 2018-19 (2-1).

Among Football League sides this season, only Birmingham City (111), Peterborough United (98) and Leeds United (96) have scored more goals across all competitions than Leyton Orient (94). This is the O’s most goals scored in an EFL campaign since 2013-14 when they were League One play-off final runners-up (104).

Each of Charlton’s three league goals against Leyton Orient this season came after the 90th minute, with no team scoring more stoppage time goals than the Addicks in the Football League this campaign (10 – level with Leeds). Meanwhile, the O’s scored twice in stoppage time in a 2-0 EFL Trophy win over Charlton in December this season.

Including the play-offs, only Leyton Orient’s Charlie Kelman (23) has scored more League One goals this season than Charlton Athletic’s Matty Godden (19); only once before has Godden scored 20 goals in an EFL campaign, doing so in 2016-17 for Stevenage in League Two.

Only Ryan Barnett (59) and Ben Wiles (55) have created more chances from open play than Leyton Orient’s Jamie Donley (54) in League One this season, with the Spurs loanee the only player to register 10 assists in the competition this term.