Chinese internationals Fan Zhiyi and Sun Jihai are set to make their Crystal Palace debuts after flying into London yesterday.
The versatile internationals had boarded a flight from Beijing as soon as they were awarded their visas in a bid to be ready for tomorrow's English First Division match against Port Vale.
Palace manager Terry Venables will make a decision on whether Fan, the 29-year-old Chinese captain, and 23-year-old Sun, who were signed for a total of GBP500,000 pounds, are ready to play after watching them train today.
Coach Ted Buxton knows the duo very well from his time in charge of the Chinese national side and recommended them to Venables during the summer.
Buxton said: 'We will see how they feel after the flight before deciding if they are in the squad for Saturday. There are a lot of things to consider but I am sure they will be fit enough if Terry Venables wants them to play.
'They will certainly be in contention for a place in the first team if they feel okay. I worked with them for 14 months and they are quality players.' If they turn out against Vale, they will become the first mainland Chinese to play professionally in England.
