Five Things to look out for in Palace's First Pre-season Fixture

Club

12 Jul 2025

Crystal Palace are back in action today (Saturday, 12th July, 12:00 BST) for our first pre-season friendly against Millwall.

The Eagles face our fellow South Londoners in a match that will take place behind closed doors, meaning the only way to catch the action is via our live stream on on Palace TV+.

To keep up with all of our pre-season action, Palace TV+ annual passes are now available, while a special pre-season bundle is also available for £17.99, granting access to all our live broadcasted fixtures – plus on-demand replays – ahead of the new season.

Ahead of the FA Cup holders return, here are five things to watch out for on Saturday.

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Football is back

It may still be a month until the start of the new Premier League season. But after some barren weekends, football is back, with this game kicking-off a busy pre-season programme for Palace.

Whilst no points are up for grabs, there will still be a lot to like about watching an Eagles team cross the white line for the first time since May.

And naturally, there’s always pride at stake when Palace face Millwall!

Substitutes galore

The days of footballers running for three weeks in pre-season without seeing a ball are (mercifully) a thing of the past.

Instead, players don’t have to wait long to get a practice game under their belts nowadays.

With the Palace squad only returning to the training pitches earlier this week, naturally they’ll be some rustiness to shake off.

Throw in the added factor of a hot day in South London, you can expect plenty of substitutions throughout the game.

At least one audacious effort

Practice games behind closed doors provide the perfect environment to try things a player might not go for in front of a sold-out Selhurst Park.

Does that means we might see a long-range effort, or an audacious piece of skill? Time will tell on that one.

Palace’s last friendly – a 1-0 win over Hamkam during a break in domestic fixtures last season, saw a rocket from Matheus França for the winning goal.

Hopefully we see another perfectly executed technical strike on Saturday…

New combinations?

The prospect of plenty of changes coming off the bench means we’re likely to see a few different formations and combinations tested over the 90 minutes.

Versatility was an important trait for the Eagles last season and will be needed again in 2025/26.

Although we won’t know the exact team news until closer to kick-off, we could see some new faces involved for the first time.

New arrival Walter Benítez was involved in the first day back at training earlier this week, while Friday saw Palace make the second signing of the summer, with Borna Sosa arriving from Ajax.

Even if this weekend proves too soon – we can expect to see both making their first Palace appearance during pre-season.

Extended Highlights: Crystal Palace 3-1 Millwall | Palace TV+

A bit of South London spice

As a pre-season friendly, clearly this all-South London clash won’t quite have the intensity of recent competitive meetings.

However, as we’ve already alluded there is always bragging rights up for grabs when any Palace team take on Millwall.

Regardless of who they were playing in the first friendly, both sides would have been keen to start 2025/26 in the best possible manner.

But a dash of South London rivalry gives this game just a little bit more edge than your average friendly.

Last time out, in an FA Cup fifth round clash, Palace triumphed 3-1 at Selhurst Park – could we see a repeat on Saturday lunchtime?

Match Details

Crystal Palace v Millwall
Saturday, 12th July
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
LIVE on Palace TV+

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