Preview: Shakhtar Donetsk vs Crystal Palace - prediction, team news, lineups

Crystal Palace continue their maiden major European campaign on Thursday night when they travel to Krakow to face Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg of their Conference League semi-final.

Whoever prevails from this two-legged contest will face either Rayo Vallecano or Strasbourg in the final in Leipzig on May 27.

Match preview

The 2024-25 campaign was arguably the greatest in Crystal Palace’s history, defined by FA Cup glory, European qualification and a record Premier League points tally. Now, the Eagles are on the cusp of another historic milestone: reaching their first ever major European final.

Oliver Glasner’s side have been listed as favourites to win the Conference League throughout this season, but their route to the semi-finals has been far from easy. Indeed, they won only half of their six League Phase fixtures and missed out on automatic last-16 qualification (finishing 10th), before beating Zrinjski Mostar 3-1 on aggregate in the playoff round.

Palace then edged past AEK Larnaca 2-1 on aggregate following an extra-time victory in the last 16, before securing a 4-2 win over two-time Conference League finalists Fiorentina in the quarter-finals, sparking jubilant celebrations in the streets of Florence between the Eagles players and travelling supporters.

The South Londoners are gearing up for their seventh European away day of the season and have had mixed success on the road thus far, winning three (one after extra time), drawing one and losing two. However, their opening match of the competition was a 2-0 success over Shakhtar's Ukrainian rivals Dynamo Kiev in Poland.

A 3-1 defeat away against Liverpool last weekend leaves Crystal Palace 13th in the Premier League and seemingly destined for a mid-table finish. Now six points off the top seven but comfortably nine points clear of the relegation zone, the Eagles are expected to shift their full focus toward European silverware, starting with their high-stakes encounter against Shakhtar.

Shakhtar are preparing for their first major European semi-final since the 2019-20 Europa League after reaching the final four in their maiden Conference League campaign, courtesy of a 5-2 aggregate victory over AZ Alkmaar in the quarter-finals.

Arda Turan’s side previously finished sixth in the 36-team League Phase before edging past Lech Poznan 4-3 on aggregate in the last 16 – their Conference League record this season now stands at six wins, two draws and two defeats, with 19 goals scored and 10 conceded.

Turan claims that he “had a dream” about facing Crystal Palace after attending a game at Selhurst Park in December last year, and the 39-year-old boss is now relishing the challenge against a Premier League opponent with “great potential”.

Sixteen-time Ukrainian champions Shakhtar are on the cusp of lifting a third title in four seasons, after a 3-1 victory over Kudrivka last weekend helped them to move eight points clear at the top of the Ukrainian Premier League with five games remaining.

The Pitmen will be hoping to use their vast European experience to their advantage on Thursday. Having competed regularly in the Champions League and Europa League (28 times across both tournaments), they reached the final four of the latter in both 2015-16 and 2019-20, building on their historic 2008-09 UEFA Cup triumph.

Shakhtar Donetsk Conference League form:

Shakhtar Donetsk form (all competitions):

Crystal Palace Conference League form:

Crystal Palace form (all competitions):

Team News

Shakhtar Donetsk have no fresh injury concerns, with midfielder Dmytro Kryskiv playing for just over 20 minutes as a substitute against Kudrivka after recovering from a muscle problem.

Centre-back Valeriy Bondar, full-backs Vinicius Tobias and Pedro Henrique, and midfielder Yegor Nazaryna are among those expected to return to the first XI after being rested at the weekend.

Turan is set to lean on his Brazilian attacking core who have been responsible for the majority of their Conference League goals – Alisson, Kaua Elias and Newerton have scored six goals between them and should continue as a front three, while teenager Luca Meirelles (three goals) provides cover as a substitute.

As for Crystal Palace, Evann Guessand (knee), Eddie Nketiah (thigh) and Cheick Doucoure (muscle) all remain out with injuries, while Tyrick Mitchell will have an ongoing Achilles issue assessed ahead of kickoff.

Borna Sosa will likely deputise at left wing-back if Mitchell is not deemed fit to start, and Daniel Munoz - who scored his fifth goal of the season against Liverpool last time out - will presumably retain his place on the opposite flank.

Ismaila Sarr will become the joint-top scorer in this season’s Conference League if he finds the net once on Thursday, and he could be joined in attack by either Brennan Johnson or Yeremy Pino. Meanwhile, Jorgen Strand Larsen will be pushing to replace Jean-Philippe Mateta up front.

Shakhtar Donetsk possible starting lineup:

Riznyk; Tobias, Bondar, Matviienko, Henrique; Ocheretko, Nazaryna, Isaque; Alisson, K. Elias, Newerton

Crystal Palace possible starting lineup:

Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Canvot; Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Sosa; Sarr, Pino; Strand Larsen

We say: Shakhtar Donetsk 1-1 Crystal Palace

Shakhtar have not let their lack of a home advantage impact their season, and they possess the technical quality to dominate possession and carve out chances against a Crystal Palace outfit who may prioritise defensive solidity to keep the tie alive ahead of next week’s return fixture at Selhurst Park.

Considering that there is little to separate these two teams, we feel that a closely-contested encounter in Krakow will end all square.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.