Dean Henderson wants to make sure Oliver Glasner signs off as Crystal Palace manager by winning the Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano.

Glasner announced earlier this year that he would be leaving Selhurst Park at the end of the campaign, and having delivered the FA Cup last term – the club's first major trophy – he now has the chance to say farewell by making more history.

The two managers to win a major European trophy in their final games in charge of an English club are Keith Burkinshaw at Tottenham (1984 UEFA Cup) and Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea (2019 Europa League).

Palace are competing in their first-ever major European final, having beaten Shakhtar Donetsk 5-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals, but come into it on the back of a 15th-place finish in the Premier League.

The Eagles' only two wins in their last 10 matches (D3 L5) have both come in the Conference League, but Henderson is confident Palace have what it takes to lift the trophy.

"The togetherness in this group is phenomenal," Henderson, who was instrumental with a penalty save in Palace's FA Cup win, said.

"All the lads are pushing in the right direction for each other. All the staff at the training ground, everyone.

"It's just like a family club. We're all pushing towards the same end goal. Obviously, it would be a great way to finish the movie off for Glasner as well. Everyone wants that happy ending, and everyone's working towards that.

"It'd be unbelievable for him, wouldn't it? Obviously, the best manager this club's ever had, and to finish on such a high would be sensational."

Like Palace, Rayo are also playing in their first major European final, booking their place in Leipzig's showpiece with a 2-0 aggregate win over Strasbourg last time out.

Rayo finished eighth in LaLiga, only missing out on a European place through their league position by a single point. In all competitions, they are on a nine-match unbeaten streak (W6 D3).

At 38 years and 129 days on the day of this game, Inigo Perez is the youngest Spaniard to take charge of a major European final since Pep Guardiola in the 2009 Champions League final, who led Barcelona to a 2-0 win over Manchester United; he was also aged exactly 38 years and 129 days on the day of that game.

And Perez is determined to extend that streak to round off a fairytale run.

"We're still floating on a cloud after what we achieved in Strasbourg," Perez told UEFA.

"I don't think we're fully aware of the milestone we've achieved, and it'll take some time to really take it all in.

"Even so, as it's been a long journey, we're already acknowledging the first steps we've taken, the lessons learnt and the experience we're gaining.

"The final step is obviously in Leipzig now, and we hope that our story has a happy ending."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Crystal Palace – Ismaila Sarr

Ismaila Sarr has netted nine Conference League goals this season, with only Cyriel Dessers (10 in 2021-22 for Feyenoord) and Ayoub El Kaabi (11 in 2023-24 for Olympiacos) scoring more in a single campaign. He could also be the first-ever player to score in six consecutive appearances in the competition.

It is only the sixth time a player has scored at least nine goals in a team's first-ever major European campaign, and only Stan Bowles for Queens Park Rangers in 1976-77 has ever reached double figures (11).

Rayo Vallecano – Florian Lejeune

Florian Lejeune ranks top for headed clearances (37) and interceptions (30) in the Conference League this season, while he is also second for clearances (66).

He faced Palace three times in the Premier League as a Newcastle United player, with all three games ending 1-0 (W2 L1).

MATCH PREDICTION: CRYSTAL PALACE WIN

In what is Palace's first major European season and only Rayo's second campaign in Europe, the sides will meet for the first time in this season's Conference League final.

Palace are the first team to reach a major European final in their debut season since Spanish side Alaves in the 2000-01 UEFA Cup, who lost 5-4 to Liverpool in the final. The last side to lift a trophy in their first season was KV Mechelen in 1987-88, who won the Cup Winners' Cup.

Two of the four previous Conference League finals have been won by English clubs, with West Ham winning in 2022-23 and Chelsea in 2024-25. The only Spanish team to have reached a final previously were Real Betis, who lost to Chelsea last season.

Palace have won eight of their 14 Conference League matches this season – a record total of wins by a team in their debut major European season. Only three sides have scored more than the Eagles (25) in their first seasons: Alaves in 2000-01 (35), Valencia in 1961-62 (33) and QPR in 1976-77 (26).

Rayo have won 14 out of 22 major European matches (D3 L5), giving them a win percentage of 64%, which is the best of any team to play 20+ games in the history of European competition.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Crystal Palace – 51.2%

Draw – 25.6%

Rayo Vallecano – 23.2%