Crystal Palace play Rayo Vallecano in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday night at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, a single match that will also decide which club takes a place in next season’s Europa League — and it will be Oliver Glasner’s last game in charge of Palace.
Glasner, who won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022 and led Palace to the Community Shield in August, said the players had marked his departure before they flew to Germany. "They had a nice farewell to me and then I said a few words," he said on the eve of the final, adding bluntly: "I said for me that the best thing would be of course winning tomorrow because then the players would be in the Europa League next year and then we get what we should have got this year."
More than 15,000 Palace supporters are expected in Leipzig to watch the club contest their first European final. A win would not only hand Palace a trophy but also complete a remarkable 12 months that already includes the FA Cup — won for the first time last season — and the Community Shield, meaning Glasner could leave with a third trophy in 12 months.
The path to this unlikely European curtain-call has been anything but straightforward. Palace were demoted to the Conference League last year after Uefa deemed John Textor had a controlling interest in both Palace and Lyon, a ruling that pushed the club into a competition they had not planned to enter. Palace nonetheless began their European journey by edging past Fredrikstad in a play-off and progressed from a group that included a 1-0 home defeat to AEK Larnaca in October.
Success on the pitch has been shadowed by turbulence off it and a collapse of form through the winter: a club-record 19-match unbeaten run gave way to a slump that left Palace searching for consistency and seeing squad changes, losses from the side referenced in the club’s earlier season and a run of results that fed public scrutiny. Still, Glasner urged the players to finish the job. "I would like to watch on TV that they start with the desire and the confidence that we can win the Europa League as well," he said, adding: "This would make me really happy because then I think we created a mindset all together where at the end it’s always successful."
Tension in the squad is plain. Glasner confirmed in January that he would leave at the end of the season and the players held a farewell party for him on Monday. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson reflected on the bond the manager has helped forge between team and fans: "The players did a send-off video and spoke from the heart," he said, adding that the rapport built since Glasner’s arrival mattered because "The team’s got a special connection with the supporters and when I joined the football club I felt like that was distant." Henderson said the supporters "can really help us tomorrow night." He also used the terse phrase "a huge miss."
Rayo Vallecano arrive in Leipzig insisting they are not merely a convenient opponent. Midfielder Iñigo Pérez said the teams "share football traits" and emphasised Rayo’s identity. "I think we share football traits with Crystal Palace," he said. "The effort, the collective … For me, Crystal Palace is a dream rival. I think that beyond the money comparisons, we must represent the Vallecas neighbourhood. Maintaining our identity will be the right approach."
The stakes extend beyond the two clubs. The winner will move into next season’s Europa League, and that slot would increase England’s representation in Uefa’s three club competitions to nine clubs for the campaign ahead. Palace know that victory would automatically qualify them for the Europa League; defeat would consign them to consolation and hand the continental berth to someone else.
Glasner framed the final in personal and practical terms: "That doesn’t mean that you win a trophy every single year but at the end you will always get the best out of every single player," he said, before returning to the clear objective. "That’s why I hope that we win tomorrow and these players can play European football again next year." Adam Wharton and Chris Richards trained on Tuesday as Palace prepared to face a Rayo side determined to keep its Vallecas identity intact, and more than 15,000 travelling supporters will make sure Glasner’s last night as manager will be played out under a roar.
