The Eagles’ season started some 290 days ago against Liverpool in the FA Community Shield at Wembley, with Palace set to play their 60th game in that time tonight – an average of a competitive fixture every 4.8 days.
Along the way, they have lifted silverware beneath the arch; suffered a 12-game winless streak; completed a club-record 19 game unbeaten run; defeated arch-rivals Brighton & Hove Albion away from home; and battled from the UEFA Conference League qualifiers – via a testing route in itself – all the way through to tonight’s Final.
Now, Rayo Vallecano are the team which stand in the way of glory.
“I think all the boys are pretty calm,” captain Henderson said, the night before the game. “We've been here before, we know what it takes. Everyone's calm within the dressing room.
“Come tomorrow night, we'll obviously be focused, but we'll just be excited to get out there and show what we can do.
“I’m excited, I think all the boys are. We're looking forward to getting in there and getting the game underway.
“We haven't really changed anything for the last two years, so we know what we need to do. When it comes to the big games, we've delivered, and we're looking forward to delivering again.”