The only thing common between Shakhtar Donetsk and Crystal Palace when it comes to European competitions is that both teams are playing in the Conference League for the very first time. Reaching the semi-finals of this event is a big deal indeed, as both sides will be vying to enter the final, with one of them potentially taking a big advantage from the first leg.
With Ukraine still reeling from war-related issues, the Stadion Miejski in Krakow, Poland, will play host to this clash, with Shakhtar as the home team. Playing a European semifinal for the first time since the 2019/20 season, when they were in the Europa League final four, the Ukrainians will want to go the distance, and even win the title.
While Crystal Palace stand in their way at the moment, Shakhtar reached the final four courtesy of their 5-2 aggregate win over Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar in the quarter-finals. This is the first time they will face the Eagles, as manager Arda Turan will hope they make it to the final, or at least take a big advantage to London for the return leg.
As for Crystal Palace, it is quite the achievement to be part of the final four of the Conference League, which also happens to be their maiden European tournament ever. Having finished tenth in the league phase, Palace had to overcome Zrinjski Mostar in the playoff rounds before defeating AEK Larnaca in the next stage with a 2-1 aggregate score. The big result came in the quarter-finals as Oliver Glasner’s men overpowered Italian side Fiorentina with a 4-2 aggregate win to reach the semifinals.
This upcoming game against Shakhtar will be all about Glasner and his experience in Europe, having won the Europa League previously with Eintracht Frankfurt. Palace come into this one on the back of a defeat to Liverpool at the weekend, but they are on fire in their recent European games.
Arda Turan is expected to make a few changes to his lineup, having rested many of his key starters recently. While they have no fresh injury concerns, they were boosted by the return of midfielder Dmytro Kryskiv, who played around 20 minutes off the bench against Kryvbas.
Among those who might return to the lineup are centre-back Valeriy Bondar as well as full-backs Vinicius Tobias and Pedro Henrique. There will also be a starting spot for midfielder Yegor Nazaryna, although Kryskiv’s role as a starter is still in doubt.
Shakhtar have heavily relied on their Brazilian core of attackers in the UEFA Europa Conference League, meaning Turan is likely to select Alisson, Kaua Elias, and Newerton in his attacking setup.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Riznyk; Tobias, Bondar, Matviienko, Henrique; Ocheretko, Nazaryna, Isaque; Alisson, K. Elias, Newerton
Oliver Glasner has a few injury-related absentees to contend with ahead of this crucial European semifinal first leg. The Eagles continue to be without Eddie Nketiah, loanee Evann Guessand and Cheick Doucouré. There are also doubts over Tyrick Mitchell’s participation owing to an ongoing Achilles issue.
The manager has resorted to rotating a few positions of late, but for this first leg encounter with Shakhtar, he is expected to field his strongest possible lineup. That includes Ismaila Sarr, Yeremy Pino and probably Jorgen Strand Larsen in the attack, as Jean-Philippe Mateta is likely to come off the bench at some stage of the game.
He will also select key midfielders Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada, while Borna Sosa could start on the left flank in place of the doubtful Mitchell, with Daniel Munoz pencilled in to start on the right.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Canvot; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Sosa; Sarr, Pino; Strand Larsen
Mateta was probably the star for Palace over the last few European games, but the main man in attack remains Sarr. The Senegalese international could become the joint-top scorer with another goal to his name on Thursday, as he will once again be looked upon to carry the team’s attacking needs.
With a knack for scoring key goals for the club, Sarr will be viewed as the key attacking threat by Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday, as Palace will want the Senegalese star to produce a performance for the ages. Should the attacker perform at his best, there is no doubt that Palace will take the advantage back to London for next week.
This game is poised to go either way, but a draw would be the most likely outcome given what is at stake for both teams. Shakhtar have a certain advantage playing at ‘home’, and they have been impressive here. One might argue they have not faced a team of the calibre of Palace, which may reveal a lot about the Ukrainians heading into Thursday.
Oliver Glasner is vastly experienced in situations like these, even if his players are not. The Palace boss will look to take advantage of the situation and will be the happier of the two managers to take a draw back to London for the return leg. Overall, this game has all the hallmarks of an entertaining draw.
