There’s an ironic prize on offer if Crystal Palace can beat Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final on Wednesday: A spot in the competition Palace originally should have been playing in anyway.A season which began with Palace in court appealing in vain against demotion from the Europa League ends with a chance to win its first-ever European trophy in the competition it didn’t want to play in. The winner gets a Europa League place for 2026-27.It’s 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 scrapped its way to the final despite having a season marred by a fan boycott and a simmering feud between the supporters and the club president.
Stepping out of the shadowsPalace and Rayo are usually in the shadow of more successful neighbors. On Wednesday, they get the European spotlight to themselves. Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena is an unlikely corporate setting for two vibrant fan bases.Far from the glamor of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, Rayo is the Spanish capital’s third team, backed by passionate fans from a working-class neighborhood. 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 upset of Atletico — in protest at the club president, while the team briefly moved out of its stadium because the field was unfit for play.
