Crystal Palace's Unconventional Journey to European Glory

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.

The FA Cup win last season which qualified Palace for European competition was the first-ever major trophy for the team from an unfashionable corner of south London. After hosting Arsenal's Premier League title party Saturday, now's the chance for a party of their own.

Under Glasner, Palace has made a habit of outperforming bigger London rivals with a fraction of the budget, even if it often means saying goodbye to key players when a better offer comes along.

Team newsPalace is waiting on the fitness of American defender Chris Richards after he tore ankle ligaments. Glasner said last week Richards was '50-50' for the final. That could leave Richards weighing up how to much to risk his fitness ahead of the World Cup.

Rayo attacking midfielder Isi Palazón could be fresh for the final because he hasn't played since the semifinal win over Strasbourg due to a suspension in the Spanish league for confronting a referee. He scored two vital goals in the 4-3 aggregate win over Greece's AEK Athens in the quarterfinals.

(With inputs from agencies.)