Glasner Urges Palace to Win at Red Bull Arena for Europe
Oliver Glasner wants Crystal Palace to beat Rayo Vallecano at red bull arena on Wednesday night and reclaim the Europa League place they lost to Uefa. The final in Leipzig is his last match as Palace manager, so the result carries a direct European consequence and a final chance to leave the club in the competition they were denied.
Glasner and Palace in Leipzig
“I said for me that the best thing would be of course winning tomorrow because then the players would be in the Europa League next year and then we get what we should have got this year.” Glasner said that on Tuesday, making the equation plain for Palace: win the final and the club moves up a level for next season.
He added: “That’s why I hope that we win tomorrow and these players can play European football again next year.” It is the clearest target in front of them after Uefa ruled that John Textor had a controlling interest in Palace and Lyon, who had also qualified for the secondary competition, and Palace were pushed into the Conference League.
Henderson on Glasner
Dean Henderson called Glasner leaving “a huge miss” and said the players held a send-off video and “spoke from the heart.” The goalkeeper also pointed to the connection with the supporters, saying it was “distant” when he joined the club before the manager arrived and that the rapport has grown since then.
That link will matter in Leipzig. More than 15,000 Palace supporters are expected there, and Henderson said they “can really help us tomorrow night.”
Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig
Rayo arrive with their own identity intact. Iñigo Pérez said, “For me, Crystal Palace is a dream rival,” and added, “Maintaining our identity will be the right approach.” He also noted that his team operate on a fifth of Palace’s budget.
Palace have already had a glance at the available group, with Adam Wharton and Chris Richards training on Tuesday. Glasner, who won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022 and guided Palace to the Community Shield in August, will try to end his 12 months in charge by restoring the competition place Palace say they should have had all along.
