Crystal Palace's first game of the season is drawing ever closer, with a trip to Craven Cottage to face Fulham coming up on 11th August. Roy Hodgson will want to be as well prepared as possible going into the clash with the fellow London side. 

Fulham will be buoyant after winning promotion from the Championship to the top tier, having beaten Aston Villa in the play-off final. Spirits will be high in the Fulham camp, and Palace will certainly need to be at their best to take anything away from Craven Cottage.

The Cottagers will be bringing more than just spirit to this encounter. They have a genuinely talented team with plentiful Premier League quality. Players such as the on-loan Andre Schurrle will be sure to cause the Eagles problems at the back. Palace will also need to be up for the battle in midfield, and stop Fulham's star man getting too much time on the ball. Given too much time, Tom Cairney is a dangerous player in the middle of the park who will be relishing the chance to prove himself at the top level.

Alfie Mawson will be another player making it hard for Palace to get a result. Fulham have swooped for the centre-back in a £20m deal. Palace will need a dynamic attack to get past the talented defender.

With that in mind, Hodgson needs to make sure these two deals are over the line before the Fulham encounter...

Jordan Ayew will know all about the strengths and weaknesses of Alfie Mawson's game, having played with the defender during his time at Swansea City.

Palace are reportedly keen on bringing the 26-year-old Ghanaian to Selhurst Park. Despite playing in a relegated Swansea City side with very little creativity last season, Ayew still managed to net 11 goals in all competitions for the Swans.

Palace surely do not want to go into the Fulham game relying on Christian Benteke, scorer of just three Premier League goals last season, as their main threat going forward. A direct strategy of balls into Benteke will be easily dealt with by a player the standard of Alfie Mawson. Ayew would add a new dynamic to the Palace attack, which would be a nightmare for the Fulham defence to deal with.

Maxime Gonalons would be a great option for Palace against Fulham, particularly as they will need control in the middle of the park, coming up against a player the quality of Tom Cairney.

Crystal Palace have made an £8.9m offer for the AS Roma player in this window, but whether the South London club will get the deal over the line is unknown. The 29-year-old would bring some real defensive intelligence to the Palace midfield, with the talents of players like Schurrle and Ryan Sessegnon in the Whites team, this will be of a great advantage to the Eagles.

Hodgson needs to ensure he gets this star through the door before Palace are lining up at Craven Cottage.