A fascinating thread has emerged explaining why Crystal Palace’s UEFA Conference League victory is bad news for four English clubs in particular.

Crystal Palace took on Spanish side Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final on Wednesday evening at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany.

Oliver Glasner was looking to end his stint at the south London club on a high and that’s what he did as his side triumphed 1-0.

Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the only goal of the game in the 50th minute as Palace won just the second major trophy in their history and their first European title.

Four English Clubs Impacted By Palace’s Victory

Palace’s triumph has impacted how next season’s Carabao Cup will operate, with four English clubs affected, as explained by BBC Sport rules expert Dale Johnson.

Palace were due to enter next season’s competition in the second round after finishing 15th in the Premier League. However, their victory, which has seen them qualify for next season’s Europa League, means they will now enter in the third round, alongside the other eight English clubs that will compete in Europe.

To ensure there are 23 teams that qualify for the third round of the Carabao Cup, Crawley Town, Rochdale, Tranmere Rovers and York City must now play a preliminary round. These matches will take place a week before the first round.

Because the first and second rounds are regionalised, two of these sides must be placed in the southern half and two in the north.

However, this could cause an issue. Crawley are in the south, while the other three teams are based in the north of England.

Tranmere, based in Merseyside, are the most southern team of the trio, but their position close to the west coast does not make it more accessible than Rochdale or York to most.

Johnson theorises that the EFL could now hold an open draw to see which of Tranmere, Rochdale and York play Crawley – and thus must feed into the southern section of the draw.

The whole scenario is set to cause serious logistical problems with some teams having to travel great distances for their matches.

Dean Henderson Pays Tribute to Oliver Glasner

Palace captain Dean Henderson was full of praise for Glasner after their triumph. He said, per Palace’s official website: “There’s a mixture of emotions,” Henderson added. “It’s like a weight lifted off your shoulders, obviously, because you want to deliver when you’re under pressure. I had no doubt that the boys would do that today.

“I felt that we missed a few chances, but thankfully it went our way. The best team deserved to win and I think we were on the night. We’ve got back what we deserved from last season. It’s a fairytale.

“The manager has been incredible. He deserves his send-off and I think this is how it should have ended. I’m so happy for him as well.”

Novak Djokovic has been defying time in his performance at the French Open this year. He progressed to the third round of the tournament after beating French world ranked No. 74 Valentin Royer 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3.

Djokovic and the crowd, however, showed some animosity towards one another over the course of the game, with the home crowd loud in their support for his French rival. The 39-year-old now moves on, though, to face Brazil 19-year-old Joao Fonseca in the third round for a place in the last 16.

In taking the win, Djokovic secured a 21st third-round appearance at the tournament, extending his own personal record. The 24-time Grand Slam champion also became the first man to play 120 matches at a single Grand Slam event, and looks poised to continue his journey towards a record-breaking 25th title.

Novak Djokovic Booed By French Fans

This incredible achievement, however, does not come without its controversy. Djokovic was affected by the vocal crowd, at one point having a serve interrupted by a spectator and boos from the audience. This forced the umpire to call: “Ladies and gentlemen, please have some respect for both of the players.”

In response to this call, Djokovic was seen on the court to respond: “They have no respect. No respect.”

While the Serbian did not allow this interruption to affect the rest of his performance, he later added on the court: “I hope I won’t play any more French players for the rest of the tournament.”

The atmosphere of the home crowd was clearly a concern, with Djokovic acknowledging: “It was a very tough match, a challenge right from the start.”

With his next opponent being Brazilian, the crowd will likely serve as less of a problem in Djokovic’s third-round match. Joao Fonseca fought back in his second-round match from two sets behind, beating the young Croatian star Dino Prizmic 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-2.

Heat Causing Problems For Players at French Open

The crowd isn’t the only concern for players at Roland Garros. The recent heat wave has had a huge impact on players, with Djokovic calling for organisers to use common sense and push more matches to later in the day due to the extreme heat.

This cause for concern was seen when 26th-seed Jakub Mensik collapsed on the court due to cramps and left the court in a wheelchair during his second-round win over Mariano Navone.

Reports are coming in that a veteran Formula 1 driver is considering an early departure from his team after receiving interest from several rivals.

The 2026 F1 season is well and truly underway, and despite the cancellation of the Saudi Arabian and Bahrain Grands Prix, it has been a huge success. As we head into round six, the Monaco Grand Prix, we can see it has been a standout season for Mercedes so far. Relative newcomer Kimi Antonelli has outperformed all expectations, leading the standings alongside teammate George Russell.

Ferrari are also having a good season, with Lewis Hamilton performing consistently well alongside teammate Charles Leclerc. The middle of the table is characteristically chaotic, with Alpine, Racing Bulls, Red Bull, and Haas vying for a competitive spot.

One team that is struggling to find the results it needs, however, is Cadillac, rivalled only by Aston Martin at the bottom of the table. The Cadillac project is clearly one that will play out over a number of years, and their struggles so far this season were expected.

Driver Eyeing Move After Recent Struggles

However, according to Dutch F1 journalist Jacky Martins, it will be ‘very hard’ for the team to hold on to veteran driver and star signing Sergio Perez, who is reportedly receiving interest from multiple teams, and would take the opportunity to pivot into a team higher up the standings if given the chance.

“I know there is interest from some teams,” Martens said on the Paddock Access podcast. “More than one. Cadillac would love to keep him, but it’s going to be very hard to keep him.

The Mexican racing driver joined the team alongside fellow veteran Valtteri Bottas. Cadillac has had a slow start to the season, with Perez yet to finish a race higher than 16th place. Most recently, at the Canadian Grand Prix, he was forced to retire due to a suspension failure, with Bottas finishing in 16th place.

Cadillac brought their drivers back to Formula One after losing their seats on rival teams. They are clearly in the building stage, and will be using this year to gather valuable intelligence about their car and competition. However, at 36, it is unlikely Perez will see the results, instead settling for being lapped five times this year. It seems likely that the former Red Bull driver will soon depart from his comeback team.

Simultaneously, rumours have circulated over the last week that Cadillac might make the decision to drop Bottas. The natural replacement seems to be reserve driver Colton Hera, but both seats at Cadillac seem to be in flux at the moment, and it feels likely that we will see a change very soon.