Crystal Palace and Freiburg will battle it out for a maiden European title when they square off in the UEFA Conference League final on Wednesday night in Leipzig.
Palace have already made history by becoming the first debutant in a major European competition to make it to the final since 2001. They beat Shakhtar Donetsk 5-3 on aggregate in the semifinals.
Rayo Vallecano on the other hand beat Strasbourg 2-0 over two legs to book their place in a first European final. The La Liga side are out to stop an English side from winning the Conference League title for a third time in four seasons.
Palace are coming off a 2-1 defeat to champions Arsenal at the weekend, meaning this is their only route back into Europe next season. Oliver Glasner’s side are without a win in their last four games.
Their Spanish opponents stretched their unbeaten streak to nine games with a 2-1 away win at Alaves last Saturday. They have won six of their last eight Conference League matches leading up to this one.
With silverware on the line and a chance to bag a first European title, we can expect a thrilling encounter here. We have a look at the key stats and offer our predicted outcome.
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What time does Palace vs Rayo Vallecano start?
The match kicks off at 10PM E.A.T at the RedBull Arena.
Palace vs Rayo Vallecano team news
Chris Richards is being assessed ahead of the match but may have to feature from the bench. Adam Wharton sustained an injury at the weekend and is also expected to start on the sidelines.
Ismaila Sarr will be key for Palace in attack as he seeks to become the first player to score in six successive Conference League games. Yeremy Pino will start alongside him in the final third.
Jean-Philippe Mateta will start up front for Glasner’s side, while Eddie Nketiah remains absent through injury.
For Vallecano, Alemao was their hero with two semifinal goals to guide them into the final. He will start up front, flanked by Isi Palazon and Alvaro Garcia.
The rest of the side will remain unchanged from the starting XI in the semi second leg.
Palace vs Rayo Vallecano head-to-head and current form
The Eagles are desperate for a result after losing two and drawing two of their last five matches. Their last victory was the 2-1 second leg semifinal victory against Shakhtar.
They face a Rayo side who are in great form, winning six of their last nine games. Vallecano have not lost since a 3-1 second leg defeat to AEK Athens in the quarters in April.
This will be the first ever competitive match between these two teams.
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Current form:
Palace – LDLDW
Vallecano – WWDDW
Palace vs Rayo Vallecano prediction
With this being a final that either side could potentially win a maiden European title, we can expect a cagey encounter. Both sides have great attacking potential and a goal for either team seems likely.
However, Vallecano are in a great run of form and that should not be ignored. Despite English teams proving to be dominant in the competition in recent seasons, it could go either way.
Prediction – Both teams to score – CLICK HERE TO PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME!