Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano meet in Leipzig for the Conference League final, with Oliver Glasner aiming to depart Selhurst Park as a European champion and OPTA numbers giving Palace a 51.2% chance of victory in this first major continental showpiece for both clubs.

Dean Henderson is eager to help deliver that trophy, knowing the match is Glasner’s last in charge after announcing an exit at the season’s end, and the goalkeeper believes Palace’s unity and shared purpose can carry the team past Rayo Vallecano in this unique occasion.

Glasner already guided Crystal Palace to the FA Cup last season, the club’s first major honour, and now has the chance to leave by lifting a European title, something previously achieved in farewell games only by Keith Burkinshaw with Tottenham in the 1984 UEFA Cup and Maurizio Sarri with Chelsea in the 2019 Europa League.

This is Crystal Palace’s debut appearance in a major European final, reached after a 5-2 aggregate victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the semi-finals, yet they arrive from a 15th-place Premier League finish and just two wins in their last 10 matches, both Conference League successes during this continental run.

Henderson, who saved a vital penalty during Palace’s FA Cup triumph, explained how much the club wants to reward Glasner and each other for this journey, saying: “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.”