Oliver Glasner’s final match as Crystal Palace manager will be the Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: AFP

Crystal Palace has an ironic prize on offer if it beats Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final on Wednesday: a spot in the competition it was originally supposed to play in.

A season that began with Palace appealing in vain against its demotion from the Europa League will end with a chance to win its first European trophy in a competition it did not want to play in. The winner gets a Europa League place for 2026-27.

It will be the last game at Palace for Oliver Glasner, the club’s most successful coach, before he leaves at the end of the season. Midfielder Will Hughes has called on the English team to give Glasner “a proper send-off” with the trophy.

Spain’s Rayo fought its way to the final despite having a season marred by a fan boycott and a simmering feud between supporters and the club president.

Palace and Rayo are usually in the shadow of more successful neighbours. On Wednesday, they will have the European spotlight to themselves. Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena is an unlikely corporate setting for two vibrant fan bases.

Far from the glamour of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, Rayo is the Spanish capital’s third team, backed by passionate fans from a working-class neighbourhood.

Pirate imagery and left-wing politics make Rayo stand out, while fans even boycotted a game, which turned out to be a stunning 3-0 win over Atletico, in protest against the club president. The team also briefly moved out of its stadium because the pitch was unfit for play.

The FA Cup win last season, which qualified Palace for European competition, was the first major trophy for the team from an unfashionable corner of south London. After hosting Arsenal’s Premier League title party on Saturday, Palace now has the chance for a party of its own.

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Under Glasner, Palace has made a habit of outperforming bigger London rivals with a fraction of the budget, even if it often means saying goodbye to key players when a better offer comes along.

Palace is waiting on the fitness of American defender Chris Richards after he tore ankle ligaments. Glasner said last week that Richards was “50-50” for the final. That could leave Richards weighing up how much to risk his fitness ahead of the World Cup.

Rayo attacking midfielder Isi Palazón could be fresh for the final because he has not played since the semifinal win over Strasbourg due to a suspension in the Spanish league for confronting a referee. He scored two vital goals in the 4-3 aggregate win over Greece’s AEK Athens in the quarterfinals.

Published on May 26, 2026