Crystal Palace have the opportunity to win their second major trophy in as many years when they take on Rayo Vallecano in the Uefa Conference League final in Leipzig on Wednesday (8pm, TNT Sports and HBO Max). The match will be Oliver Glasner's last in charge of the club, and he would love to go out on a high after being a key figure in Palace's most successful period.
Betting Tips for Crystal Palace vs Rayo Vallecano
Palace to win & Both Teams to Score - 7/5 Bet365
Mateta to score - 8/5 Ladbrokes
Match Preview
Last year's FA Cup final win over Manchester City earned the Eagles their first-ever domestic trophy, and they followed that success by winning the Community Shield. Now they are after a first-ever European honour, and the betting sites are all backing them to deliver at a best price of 8/15 to lift the trophy.
This is the first European final for both sides in only their second ever season of Uefa competition. Palace's only other experience came back in 1998 when they played in the Intertoto Cup, while Rayo reached the quarter finals of the 2000/2001 Uefa Cup, where they were beaten by Spanish rivals Alaves.
This is the first ever meeting between the two sides, and Palace will be hoping to keep alive the dream of an English treble. Aston Villa have already won the Europa League, and Arsenal are in action on Saturday in the Champions League final against current holders Paris Saint-Germain. They can also make it two wins out of two for English teams in this competition after Chelsea beat Spanish side Real Betis 4-1 in last year's final, which could be a good omen for them.
Team Form and Statistics
Palace might have struggled for large parts of the Premier League season, eventually finishing 15th in the table, just six points above the relegation zone, but since qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Conference League, their success in this competition never looked in doubt. They have been beaten in just three of their 16 games so far, twice in the league stages against AEK Larnaca and Strasbourg, while they were also beaten in the second leg of the quarter-final against Fiorentina, but they had already done the damage in the home leg, winning 3-0 at Selhurst Park.
They are without a domestic win since 12 April, when they beat Newcastle United, and they've lost four and drawn three since, but with nothing really to play for, they were surely focusing everything on this one. They know a win will not only earn them another piece of silverware but also entry into next season's Europa League, which would be huge for the club and whoever takes charge in the summer.
Their opponents finished eighth in LaLiga, some 44 points behind the champions Barcelona, but they go into the game on the back of a nine-game unbeaten run. They have won six and drawn three since a 3-1 defeat to AEK Athens in the quarter-final second leg, but they did enough to go through 4-3 on aggregate. They went on to beat Strasbourg in the last four of this competition, while they've seen off Espanyol, Getafe, Villarreal and Alaves in the league during their unbeaten run.
One of Palace's biggest problems in the Premier League was their lack of goals, scoring just 41 in 38 games, which was the third-lowest return, just ahead of relegated duo Wolves and Burnley. In this competition, however, they are the leading scorers with 25 from their 14 games. Inigo Perez's side were the second-highest scorers with 22 from their 12 games played, so can we expect a cracker in this one? Two of the last three Europa Conference League finals have featured over 2.5 goals and football betting sites price that at 11/10, while it's evens both teams score.
Key Player: Jean-Philippe Mateta
If anyone can light up a final, then it's Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who would love to sign off from club duty in style before joining up with the France squad for this summer's World Cup. The former Mainz striker has scored 17 goals so far this season, including two in his last four, including a consolation goal in Sunday's 2-1 defeat at home to champions Arsenal. He only has two in this competition so far, notching one in qualifying against Fredrikstad and more recently in the quarter-final first leg win over Fiorentina. Betting apps are offering 8/5 on him scoring at any time on Wednesday and 4/1 to score first, which he has already done seven times this season.
Team News
Palace: Adam Wharton is a doubt after lasting just 16 minutes of his return to action at the weekend, before he was withdrawn with an ankle injury. Chris Richards and Borna Sosa are also doubtful for the trip to Germany, but Cheick Doucoure and Eddie Nketiah are definitely out.
Rayo Vallecano: Rayo could be without winger Carlos Martin for the match after he was taken off after 38 minutes against Deportivo Alaves, at the weekend, with a back injury. Ilias Akhomach and Diego Mendez are also doubtful, but Luiz Felipe will definitely be out. Isi Palazon is available despite serving a seven-game domestic ban.
Predicted Line-Ups
Palace: Henderson; Riad, Lacroix, Canvot; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Mateta, Pino
Rayo Vallecano: Batalla; Ratiu, Mendy, Lejeune, Chavarria; Ciss, Valentin; De Frutos, Palazon, Espino; Alemao
Free Bets for Football
It's a big week of European football with Palace taking on Rayo Vallecano, followed by Arsenal against PSG in the Champions League final. Ladbrokes have a special offer for the Champions League, boosting the odds on a goal in both halves from 1/2 to 50/1. This offer is only open to new customers who sign up using the link above and make a first deposit of at least £10 using an eligible payment method. Next, wager a maximum of £1 on a goal in both halves in the PSG vs Arsenal match market at the standard odds before the final starts. Should the two teams produce at least one goal in both halves, Ladbrokes will payout on the bet at odds of 50/1 in the form of 10 x £5 free bet tokens, that can be used on any market and are valid for four days.
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