Leipzig is painted red and blue tonight and not just the colours of the local side. It feels like half of south London has decamped to eastern Germany...
Leipzig is painted red and blue tonight and not just the colours of the local side. It feels like half of south London has decamped to eastern Germany for this Conference League final, a migration born from fury as much as faith. The road to this pitch has been anything but a smooth highway for the Eagles; it has been a topsy turvy, tyre shredding rollercoaster that has tested the very soul of the club. From the raw anger of cup exits to the quiet belief that built this improbable run, Oliver Glasner's side have shown a tactical flexibility that borders on the chameleonic.Let's be honest, a month ago the mood around Selhurst Park was a cocktail of apathy and acid. Now The air is thick with anticipation. This idea of a 'destiny' run is often overplayed in the modern game, but there is a genuine sense that something organic is growing here. Palace have learned to suffer, to absorb the pressure of a low block and then spring with transitional play that turns defence into attack inside three passes. Rayo Vallecano, meanwhile, are no tourists. They pack their own spanish fire and a chaotic energy that has floored bigger names. This is not a final for the neutrals; this is a scrap for the purists.The prediction from this corner is a comfortable one, a 2. 0 win for the Eagles. It sounds bold, maybe even arrogant given the stakes, but the evidence of the latter stages points to a side that has finally found its killer instinct in the final third. The question is whether the emotion of the occasion or the heat of the Leipzig night will suffocate that clinical finishing. Can Palace handle the squeaky bum time of the final twenty minutes That is where titles are won and lost. The kick off is at 8pm BST and for those of us not in the stands, GoalZaza has you covered with every shove, every tackle and every roar from the ground. Dominic is on hand to take your thoughts, so get in touch. It is time to see if this mad, sprawling journey ends in glory.Rayo will not park the bus, that much is certain. They will press high, they will get in the mixer, and they will test the nerve of a Palace backline that has at times looked like a house of cards in a hurricane. But there is a steel in this Eagles squad now. A refusal to be bullied. The final is often a game of small margins, of a single lapse in concentration, and whichever side can keep their head while those around them lose theirs will lift the silverware. My money is on the men from south London. Let the chaos commence.
