STAR FOOTBALL PREVIEW Weds: Crystal Palace v Rayo Vallecano

It all comes down to this for Crystal Palace, bidding to win their first ever piece of European silverware in what is the biggest night in the south London club’s history, writes JOE CITRONE.

Oliver Glasner bows out at Selhurst Park this summer after a memorable two-year stint that already delivered an FA Cup, and he’ll want nothing more than to hand the Eagles one final gift.

Standing in their way are Rayo Vallecano, an unfashionable Madrid outfit who have punched well above their weight to reach their first ever European final.

Neither side has been here before, and that collective inexperience could make for a cagey, nervy affair – but Palace have the quality and the big-game temperament to get the job done.

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Crystal Palace v Rayo Vallecano
UEFA Conference League Final
20:00 TNT Sports

LAST FIVE STATS

HEAD-TO-HEAD
These sides have never previously met

CRYSTAL PALACE
MAY 2026 CONFERENCE LEAGUE Crystal Palace 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
MAY 2026 PREMIER LEAGUE Crystal Palace 2-2 Everton
MAY 2026 PREMIER LEAGUE Manchester City 3-0 Crystal Palace
MAY 2026 PREMIER LEAGUE Brentford 2-2 Crystal Palace
MAY 2026 PREMIER LEAGUE Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal

RAYO VALLECANO
MAY 2026 CONFERENCE LEAGUE Strasbourg 0-1 Rayo Vallecano
MAY 2026 LA LIGA Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Girona
MAY 2026 LA LIGA Valencia 1-1 Rayo Vallecano
MAY 2026 LA LIGA Rayo Vallecano 2-0 Villarreal
MAY 2026 LA LIGA Deportivo Alaves 1-2 Rayo Vallecano

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Palace’s domestic form has been patchy of late, and they’ll be disappointed with a 15th-place finish, but that’s partly because Glasner had one eye firmly on Leipzig.

Rayo arrive in fine fettle having won three of their last five, conceding just three goals in that run, and Jorge de Frutos – their top scorer with ten league goals – will be a constant menace.

That said, I fancy Palace’s superior individual quality to tell. Ismaila Sarr, Yeremy Pino and Jean-Philippe Mateta are a handful for any defence, and the Eagles know how to win finals having lifted the FA Cup at Wembley last year.

At 14/5 with starsports.bet, I am backing a Palace win and under 2.5 goals.

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(MAY 2026): PROFIT/LOSS: -2 points

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