Although the Eagles have suffered only one blip during the summer months, losing 3-0 away at Crawley, the results tend to be secondary in these sorts of fixtures.
The fitness and performance of the players takes priority, and so far Palace have come through with nothing major to report on the injury front, and have even been able to welcome long-term absentee Paddy McCarthy back into the fold.
This will be a major boost for the squad and an addition to the defence as McCarthy begins his comeback; effectively if all goes well it could be like a new signing.
After the final game against Lazio on Saturday all attention will turn to the 18th August. Of course it would be nice to record a victory against the Serie A outfit, but more important will be the squad coming through injury free.
No-one likes to lose, and Ian Holloway made his feelings felt after the loss to Crawley, so with just one more game to impress the manager before the first team selection Palace fans can expect a lively encounter at the weekend.
New signings will want to show their worth and old heads will want to reaffirm their positions, and whilst it may not lead to victory you would think that the team’s performance will be solid.
For everyone associated with the Eagles, this pre-season seems to have had a bit more attention paid to it. This is obviously because of what is to follow, and after Saturday the goal of returning to the Premier League will be realised the next time the team take to the field.
Daniel Smith: @dmsmith1987