Augusto Batalla believes "the job isn't finished yet" for Rayo Vallecano as they look to make history against Crystal Palace in the Conference League final on Wednesday. 

Rayo booked their place in the showpiece match in Leipzig by beating Ligue 1 side Strasbourg 2-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals, teeing up a clash with Oliver Glasner's men. 

The Red Bull Arena will be the venue for Rayo's first European final, with victory seeing them qualify for next season's Europa League having missed out qualifying for the competition through their league position after finishing eighth. 

This is just Palace's 15th major European game and Rayo's 23rd, a total of just 38, which is the fewest between two teams in a major final since the 1964-65 Cup Winners' Cup when West Ham (nine) and TSV 1860 Munich (10) had just 19 games combined.

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, but Batalla said his team are confident ahead of facing the Eagles. 

"It's starting to sink in that we're going to have the chance to play in a final," Batalla told UEFA.com.

"Doing so with this club isn't easy at all, given all the day-to-day demands and all the difficulties we face. We're a group of relatively senior players, by European standards.

"In fact, we're the squad with the oldest players, and that means we've been through a lot in our lives.

"After the referee blew the whistle [in the semi-final against Strasbourg] and we knew we were on our way to Leipzig, there was a bit of a sense of relief, of saying: 'Well, we've got this far,' but I also saw something in the group that I loved, and that's the feeling that the job isn't finished yet.

"That's very important ahead of the match against Crystal Palace. When you get the chance – because there are plenty of people out there who go their whole careers without ever playing in a final – we have to make the most of it.

"There's no doubt it's my best sporting moment. I feel great physically, I feel great mentally, I'm in top form, and hopefully I can finish the year in the best possible way and see what the future holds for the coming years."

And Batalla has every reason to be confident, given that Rayo are unbeaten in their last nine matches across all competitions coming into their clash with Palace (W6 D3). 

They have also 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.

And their fine run of form has been led by Inigo Perez, who at 38 years and 129 days on the day of the final, is the youngest Spaniard to take charge of a major European final since Pep Guardiola in the 2009 Champions League. 

Guardiola's side beat Manchester United 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico, doing so at exactly the same age Perez will be.