Crystal Palace vs Rayo Vallecano LIVE: Team news as Palace chase first European trophy in Conference League final | OneFootball

Focus on what we're good at

"It’s a proud moment for me, myself, my family, for everyone that helped me get to this point, and I’m just happy that we could start it off in August and get to the final,” said Crystal Palace defender Tyrick Mitchell.

"What has the message been ahead of the final? Just focus on what we’re good at.

“We know what we’re capable of, we know what we can do in games, and that’s the most important thing – just doing what we know we can do at our best ability."

Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano fans clash in Germany before Conference League final

Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano fans have clashed in Leipzig ahead of their two teams facing each other in the Conference League final, German police said on Wednesday morning.

Police said bottles, beer glasses and furniture were thrown on Tuesday evening when a group of around 300 Rayo fans encountered Palace supporters who were sitting outside restaurants, and that officers also intervened in another incident when around 60 Palace fans “provoked” Spanish supporters.

Mike Jones27 May 2026 18:30

Palace to play with no fear

“When the tournament’s got real, we’ve turned up haven’t we?” said Henderson when asked if his team will be overawed by the occasion.

“We’ve delivered some great performances and some good results, obviously, since we got out of the group stage.

“So, yeah, as I say, we’re looking forward to it. We won’t freeze. We’ll play with no fear and we’ll have confidence.”

Henderson says Palace pushing for same goal

More from Dean Henderson who explained that the club, players and staff were are pushing for the same goal: to win the Conference League.

“The togetherness in this group is phenomenal,” said the England goalkeeper.

“All the lads are pushing in the right direction for each other. All the staff at the training ground, everyone.

“It’s just like a family club. We’re all pushing towards the same end goal.”

Mike Jones27 May 2026 18:18

Which Premier League sides have qualified for Europe?

The final day of the Premier League season delivered twists and turns and now the qualification places for next season’s European competitions has been confirmed.

Sixth-placed Bournemouth qualified for the Europa League and they will be joined in by Sunderland, with Brighton going into the Conference League.

However, Palace can also make it into Europe despite finishing 15th. They must win tonight’s final which would place them in the Europa League as well.

Mike Jones27 May 2026 18:06

'These moments you can't buy'

Glasner also spoke about how special it is to play and succeed in Europe, especially for a team such as Crystal Palace.

“These moments you can’t buy,” he added. “These moments you have to deserve. I think everybody, every single player, every one of the staff, deserved this moment.

“The feeling that you have in this last minute, when you walk around the stadium, on the pitch, this feeling – I think that’s why we all love football.”

Mike Jones27 May 2026 17:54

Oliver Glasner hails ‘huge achievement’

Oliver Glasner hailed Crystal Palace’s “huge European night” after the Eagles booked a Conference League final with Rayo Vallecano .

Speaking after Palace defeated Shakhtar Donetsk in the semi-final at Selhurst Park, Glasner said: “It was electric.

“A fantastic atmosphere. A great night at Selhurst. And of course it was the right result and a huge achievement, huge congratulations and credit to the players.

“The commitment, the effort, the discipline, was exceptional, and I always believed that we would create chances and score goals.

“At the end we all got the reward with Ismaila Sarr scoring the goal. A huge performance, and a huge European night.”

Mike Jones27 May 2026 17:48