UEFA Conference League Final: Crystal Palace | OneFootball

What has been a rollercoaster of a season at Crystal Palace is set to end in glory when they take on Rayo Vallecano in the Europa Conference League Final on Wednesday night.

First was the euphoria of winning the FA Cup at the end of last season, then the Community Shield at the start of this. In between Palace were kicked out of the Europa league and demoted to the Conference. Then a war of words between manager Oliver Glasner and the Board over key players being sold threatened to tear the season apart. A Premier League relegation scrap briefly loomed as results collapsed.

Yet now here we are, back full circle at season end to potential euphoria. Premier League survival assured and the club’s first ever European final. It’s Glasner’s last game in a stunning two-year spell. The Disney execs could have a field day with this soap opera.

“It would be a great way to finish the movie off,” said captain and goalkeeper Dean Henderson. “Everyone wants that happy ending and everyone’s working towards that.”

Up, then down….then up again

The season started so well. At one stage the Eagles were fourth in the Premier League after 15 games. But the storm clouds were already gathering. Glasner had, with some justification, expected the Board to back him after winning Palace’s first ever major trophies.

Instead, star man Eberechi Eze was sold to Arsenal. When Marc Guehi looked like he was going to Liverpool, Glasner reportedly threatened to quit. Already angry about a lack of investment in the playing squad, he was concerned that so late in the window no replacements had been lined up. The Board relented and Guehi remained a Palace player.

Come January though and it was clear, with his contract due to expire this summer, Palace wanted to cash in and Guehi was sold to Manchester City. Glasner announced at the same time he was leaving as well. Jean Philip Mateta, the Eagles’ top scorer, forced a move to AC Milan which fell through because he had a knee injury.

By now Palace’s form had collapsed, not helped by injuries to key players and losing Senegal attacker Ismailla Sarr to the African Cup of Nations for the duration of the competition. Morale had sunk. In January they were knocked out of the FA Cup by National League North side Macclesfield as they started their defence of the FA Cup, the first holders to be beaten by a non-league side in 117 years. It was a seismic shock.

But back came Sarr, then Daniel Munoz from injury, then Mateta. Things settled down with Glasner, the wins kept on coming in Europe and just in time for the end of season nearly everyone was fit again.

Conference campaign

Palace’s first foray into European football has been a great success, winning eight and drawing four of their 14 games so far. They weren’t meant to be in the conference, let’s not forget. Having won the FA Cup they were placed in the Europa League. But Nottingham Forest complained they had breached multi-club ownership rules and Palace were demoted to the Conference league. Forest, who had qualified for the Conference, took their place.

After a strong start to the Group, Palace secured their place in the knockouts but only just. Having won three games, they wobbled in line with the rest of their season and lost to Larnaca and Strasbourg. An embarrassing 2–2 KuPS Kuopio left them needing a play-off win to secure a place in the knockout rounds.

A 3-1 aggregate victory against Zrinjski Mostar saw them through and they have gone from strength to strength, again mirroring their Premier League season, finishing strongly with convincing wins over Fiorentina (4-2) and Shakhtar Donetsk (5-2).

Glasner has had his Palace team working on Wednesday’s opponents for a fortnight. “We showed them how they will press us, what we need in possession, how we want to get pressure on them, how they are going to play,” he said in the press conference ahead on Tuesday night.

“Now it’s just getting the fine-tuning. We don’t want to change anything and we won’t change anything. It’s a final and now everything is possible.”

Records broken

Palace have broken records along the way. Their eight wins in the main part of the tournament (not including qualifying) is the most victories achieved by a team in their debut season in a UEFA competition.

They have scored more goals than anyone, with 25m and have the highest XG with 31.3.

Ismaila Sarr has been the star of their campaign, with nine goals in 14 games.

Europa League? We’re ok where we are thanks.

A lifetime of memories in one year

“I think the best way to put it is that we’ve had a lifetime’s worth of memories in the space of the year,” Ollie Thomas of TalkCPFC, one of Palace’s most prominent fan voices, told ESPN.

Certainly this time just over a year ago, as the Eagles prepared to face Manchester City in the FA Cup final, there is not a single Palace fan out there who would crystal ball gaze and say in 12 months they would have won their first ever domestic trophy, then their second, and then be in a European final. It really is the stuff of dreams.

In amongst of course the chaos of losing their best two players, nearly their third, and the manager announcing mid-season he was leaving.

Predictions and line-ups

Opta have a Palace win at 51.2% chance, with Rayo 23.2%, making the Selhurst Park outfit the clear favourites. But Rayo will be no pushover.

Team selection will depend on the fitness of defender Chris Richards and midfielder Adam Wharton. Richards has torn two ligaments in his ankle but Glasner is hoping he can be patched up enough. Wharton gave Palace fans a scare at the weekend when he suffered an ankle injury against Arsenal but is expected to be fit. Glasner said both would be assessed on matchday.

Predicted line up (3-4-2-1): Henderson – Canvot, Lacroix, Richards/Riad – Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell – Sarr, Pino – Mateta

If Palace turn up and play to their potential, they should have enough to win the midfield battle and exploit Rayo’s high backline. Mateta has hit peak form just at the right time, with three goals in his last six games having returned from injury.

Henderson has been selected as England’s number 2 for the World Cup while Sarr is the competition’s top scorer.