Crystal Palace would love to follow in the footsteps of their English neighbours Aston Villa and win a European cup to round off the 2025-26 season in style.
The English side face Rayo Vallecano this Wednesday in Leipzig for the Europa Conference League final.
Both teams are hoping to lift their first-ever European trophy and, in doing so, qualify for next season’s Europa League.
Check out our predictions for this final match of the competition below, along with the latest football odds available for your sports bets.
Crystal Palace vs Rayo Vallecano: Match preview
For the very first time in its history, Crystal Palace are contesting a European final.
Having tasted success on the domestic stage with a 2024-25 FA Cup victory, followed by a Community Shield win at the start of the season, the Eagles now have the chance to write a new chapter in their history on the continent.
The stakes are high: a title win would automatically secure the London club a place in next season’s Europa League, a target that has become out of reach via the league, where Palace quickly fell behind in the race for the top eight.
Focused on their European campaign, the Londoners have endured a run of poor form, going seven Premier League matches without a win. But the 5-2 aggregate victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the previous round certainly made up for those domestic struggles.
For their part, Rayo Vallecano had to battle hard against RC Strasbourg in the semi-finals in a fiercely contested two-legged tie.
The Madrid side showed great defensive solidity to win by the narrowest of margins in both the first and second legs.
In the league, Rayo have also had a mixed season. Long stuck at the bottom of the La Liga table, the club staged a fine comeback in the spring and found themselves in the running for European qualification on the final day.
Despite a win against Deportivo Alavés, it was not enough to secure a European place via the league. Like Palace, the Madrid side will therefore be playing for their European future in this final.
Crystal Palace vs Rayo Vallecano: The odds
*All odds are subject to change
Crystal Palace are the logical favourites at 1.91. A Rayo Vallecano win is priced at 4.20, whilst a draw after 90 minutes is at 3.45.
Crystal Palace vs Rayo Vallecano: Our tips
Crystal Palace to win @ 1.91
On paper, Crystal Palace seem to have more attacking options and experience in big games. The Eagles have faced tougher opponents throughout their Conference League campaign, and appear to be going into this match with greater attacking confidence, scoring two or more goals in each of the last four European outings.
Ismaila Sarr to score at any time @ 2.49
Ismaila Sarr is having an exceptional European campaign, having already scored nine goals in the competition. Full of confidence for several weeks now, the Senegalese winger has become his side’s primary attacking threat – scoring six of his goals in the team’s previous five Conference League games!
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