Palace fans will still be reeling from their historic win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on the weekend, so a match against League Two opposition Colchester may seem quaint in the grand scheme.
Nonetheless, we can expect to see a much-changed side, due to the quick turnaround.
It is safe to assume that the majority of the team who upset the Red Devils will be rested, given Roy Hodgson’s history of showing loyalty to players who worked so hard to get a result.
However, this does, in fact, raise issues because of Palace’s lack of depth in certain positions, particularly the fullback areas, therefore it will be interesting to see which of the defenders will be chosen to play three games in a week, with James Tomkins and Mamadou Sakho still sidelined.
Perhaps none of them will, and Hodgson will blood youngsters such as the promising Sam Woods and Tyrick Mitchell.
Either way, Palace supporters will be excited to see some of the new signings who haven’t yet featured, such as James McCarthy (only briefly) and Victor Camarasa, both of whom will be hoping to give their manager a selection headache for the weekend.
Providing Hodgson utilises his standard 4-4-2 formation, here is how we think Palace will line up…
