**Oliver Glasner** gave insight into [**his plans for the Crystal Palace team ahead of the final in Leipzig**](https://www.vavel.com/en/football/2026/05/24/crystal-palace/1261800-glasner-expects-higher-levels-from-palace-in-leipzig.html).
‘They should be who they are’
-----------------------------
The _Eagles_ aim to send off their head coach in style with success in their first season of continental competition. [**Rayo Vallecano are their opposition in the Conference League final on Wednesday**](https://www.vavel.com/en/football/2026/05/25/crystal-palace/1261900-glasner-gives-praise-to-experienced-vallecano.html), and the team will hope their domestic success in similar situations last year stands them in good stead.
_“I told the players today – I don't like to say what I'm telling the players – but it was yesterday they had a nice farewell to me, and then I said a few words, I said: for me the best thing would be of course winning tomorrow, but not for winning tomorrow, but because then they’d play European football in the_ **_Europa League_** _next year and then they would get next year what we should have got this year._
_“I said I would like to watch on TV that they’d start the_ **_Europa League_** _with the desire and the confidence that they could win the Europa League as well. This would make me really happy, because then I think we created a mindset all together where at the end it's always successful._
_“That doesn't mean that you win a trophy every single year, but at the end, you will always get the best out of every single player and every single team, and that's why I hope that we win tomorrow, and that these players can play European football next year again._
_“Tomorrow's day is longer than the_ **_FA Cup_** _Final day, because the final was at 4.30pm and tomorrow starts at 9pm local time. We’re quite relaxed. For me, it's everything we haven't done right now, everything we couldn't transport right now, we can't do tomorrow regarding the tactics we have._
_“We had a meeting today, we had already meetings last week, which we usually don't do when we play a league game, but we started showing the players Vallecano last week, so we really watched many, many games from La Liga, from the_ **_Conference League_**_, when they played the back three, when they played against the back three, when they played against the back four, when they had more possession, less possession, so we really had to be prepared. This is what we showed the players._
_“Today, depending on the questions, we will go to dinner! And then I don't know what the players are doing, so they are all adults, and then they can spend the evening. I hope nobody goes into a bar, but I'm pretty sure they won’t!_
_“And then also tomorrow we can sleep quite long. It was a very long day, and having an activation, we always play head tennis. Everybody is a little bit excited, and me as well, and it's a long day, and then these 30 minutes when the players play head tennis is one of the best moments for me._
_“I see kids playing football, they have so much fun, everybody wants to win, but they are laughing and joking, and I'm sitting there just watching and having a big smile, and they always get a good feeling how the group is, how the players are._
_“I hope they are also laughing tomorrow and joking, and are not calm and introverted because they are nervous, because I think they should be how they are, they should be who they are, and then we have the best chance to show a great performance, and this is what we want to be._
_“We will have a meeting, the players will hear the line-up, a small summary, and then it always feels like just eating, resting, eating, resting, eating, resting, – and then we go into the stadium.”_