Idman.biz
Today, the UEFA Conference League final will be held in Leipzig, Germany. England's "Crystal Palace" will face Spain's "Rayo Vallecano" in the decisive match.
Idman.Biz reports that the final match will be held at the "Leipzig Stadium" and will start at 23:00 Baku time.
This final has already become a historic event for both clubs. "Crystal Palace" and "Rayo Vallecano" have never won a European Cup before and will be playing in the final of a UEFA club tournament for the first time. Moreover, for the Madrid representative, this will be the first major final at the senior level.
The opponents' European experience has been quite limited until the current season. "Crystal Palace" previously participated only in the Intertoto Cup in 1998. "Rayo Vallecano" had previously played only once - in the 2000/2001 season in the UEFA Cup, reaching the 1/4 finals in that tournament, losing to "Alaves".
The teams have not faced each other before. Their paths have not crossed until the final this season either. Therefore, the score in personal meetings is still zero.
"Crystal Palace" had a longer road to the final. The English, who finished the general stage in 10th place, eliminated "Zrinski" from the competition in the play-off stage with a total score of 3:1. Then Oliver Glasner's team passed Larnaca AEK with a score of 2:1, won 4:2 against "Fiorentina" in the 1/4 finals, and defeated "Shakhtar" 5:2 in the semi-finals.
"Rayo Vallecano" finished the general stage in 5th place and advanced directly to the 1/8 finals. In the play-offs, the Spaniards eliminated "Samsunspor" 3:2, and then Athens AEK 4:3. In the semi-finals, they were superior in both games against "Strasbourg" and won with a total score of 2:0.
It should be noted that "Crystal Palace" has certain problems in the squad before the final. Chris Richards is being evaluated in a "50-50" situation after an ankle ligament injury. Adam Wharton's participation depends on his condition after the injury he received in the game against "Arsenal". However, Maxence Lacroix and Chadi Riad have already returned to the field in the last round of the Premier League.
"Rayo Vallecano"'s main problem is the condition of Ilias Akhomach, who was injured during the warm-up before the second leg of the semi-final match against "Strasbourg". The good news for Inigo Perez is that Alvaro Garcia, one of the most dangerous players in the team's attack line, has returned to the squad.
For Glasner, this final will be the last match as the head coach of "Crystal Palace". He stated that his team intends not only to play in the final, but also to win the cup. The Austrian expert noted that the victory would secure the club's first European Cup and a ticket to the Europa League.
In turn, Perez said that "Rayo" must overcome emotions and maintain their style of play. According to the head coach, the team should not think about the scale of the final, but should demonstrate the courageous football that has driven them forward throughout the tournament.
By the way, emotions have already gone beyond the football field. Before the match, clashes broke out between fans in the center of Leipzig, and the police had to intervene. Videos of mass fighting, including thrown chairs, have been circulating on social networks. A group of British fans have been detained by the German police on suspicion of disturbing public order.
Now all attention will be focused on the field. "Crystal Palace" will try to end the Glasner era with the first European title, and "Rayo Vallecano" will want to turn the most successful European Cup season in the club's history into a real sensation.
