Football often offers punishing, gruelling spells when fixtures come thick and fast and players are forced back onto the pitches with barely enough time to return to full fitness.
The Christmas period stands out as an obvious example but when teams play midweek in between clashes at the weekend, the density of fixtures can often be equally punishing at other times, too.
One of those times for Palace is now, as the Eagles have just finished the second of three games in just one week.
With Huddersfield Town last Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur on the Wednesday and then Newcastle United away this coming Saturday, there has been no time to rest for Roy Hodgson's men, who have been hitting the turf both in training and competitive meetings.