⚽ Updates from 8pm (BST) kick-off in Leipzig
⚽ From fury to a final: Palace’s topsy-turvy road
⚽ Get in touch! Email Dominic with any thoughts
It’s important to remember tonight’s winners will be granted an automatic spot in next season’s Europa League. Which is no small prize for the eighth-placed finishers in Spain (Rayo) and the team that finished 15th in the Premier League (Palace), neither of whom would be getting European football next season otherwise.
The two clubs have played just one appearance in the Europa League (or Uefa Cup, its predecessor) between them – when Rayo Vallecano qualified for the 2000-01 Uefa Cup courtesy of their fair play record.