The transfer window chaos has finally slammed shut, the paperwork is filed, and now the rubber meets the road on the banks of the Thames.
Pierre Sage desperately needs to kickstart this Premier League campaign at Craven Cottage this afternoon, and the Crystal Palace manager is wasting no time rolling the dice.
With his side smarting from that bruising 4-1 defeat to Manchester City a week and a half ago, Sage has thrown caution to the wind handing maiden starts to deadline-day heavyweights Axel Disasi and Quinten Timber as the Eagles hunt their first points of the season.
There is a distinct air of a new era about this Eagles lineup. Disasi slots straight into the defensive trifecta alongside Chris Richards and Jaydee Canvot, while Dutch international Timber steps directly into the engine room to partner Adam Wharton. That shift pushes Daichi Kamada into a more advanced, probing role, with Eddie Nketiah trusted to lead the line as Jørgen Strand Larsen drops to the bench.
Palace fans will also get their first proper look at the wider cavalry. Fellow late arrivals Ben Chilwell and Darío Osorio are primed and waiting among the substitutes, offering Sage game-changing ammunition if the contest gets tight in west London.
The stage is set, the debutants are unleashed, and the mission for Palace’s first points kicks off right now.
FULHAM V CRYSTAL PALACE Date: Saturday, 5th September Time: 15:00 BST Venue: Craven CottageCompetition: Premier League
Confirmed Lineups
Crystal Palace XI: Henderson (GK), Canvot, Richards, Disasi, Mitchell, Timber, Wharton, Khalaili, Pino, Kamada, Nketiah.
- Subs: Benítez (GK), Chilwell, Mingueza, Tomiyasu, Hughes, Doucouré, Gozo, Osorio, Strand Larsen.
Fulham XI: Leno (GK), Robinson, Bassey, Andersen, Castagne, Iwobi, Charles, Palacios, King, Bobb, Garcia.
- Subs: Lecomte (GK), Larsson, Berge, Angel, Muniz, Affengruber, Kevin, Sessegnon, Smith Rowe.
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