Crystal Palace host Shakhtar Donetsk in the second leg of their 2025-26 UEFA Conference League semi-final.
With a 3-1 aggregate lead after the first leg, Palace will advance to the final if they avoid defeat or lose by an one-goal margin.
Shakhtar Donetsk must win by a three goal margin if want to overturn their deficit, whilst a win by a two-goal margin for the Ukrainian visitors would send the tie to extra time and potentially penalties.
Team News
Will Hughes is available for Palace after he missed their 3-0 Premier League loss at Bournemouth due to illness.
Manager, Oliver Glasner is also set to recall Jean-Philippe Mateta, Ismaila Sarr and Adam Wharton amongst others to the starting line-up, having made several changes for the trip to Bournemouth.
Borna Sosa (knock), Evann Guessand, Cheick Doucoure (both knee) and Eddie Nketiah (hamstring) remain sidelined.
Shakhtar Donetsk could be without Marlon after he suffered an unspecified injury in their 2-1 victory at Dynamo Kiev in the Ukrainian Premier League.
When is Kick-Off?
Palace host Shakhtar Donetsk at Selhurst Park on Thursday 7 May at 8pm BST, live on TNT Sports 2 in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Crystal Palace won their only previous competitive meeting against Shakhtar Donetsk by a 3-1 result, albeit away on neutral territory in Krakow, Poland.
- Shakhtar Donetsk are making their first competitive visit to Palace’s Selhurst Park.
- Palace are yet to concede at home in the knockout stages (W2, D1), during which they’ve scored five goals across their three knockout matches in South London.
- Shakhtar Donetsk haven’t kept an away clean sheet in the knockout stages (W1, D1), having claimed a 3-1 Round of 16 first-leg win at Lech Poznan then drew 2-2 at AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of their Quarter-Final tie.
Prediction
After a lacklustre performance against a highly-intense Bournemouth amidst several changes to the team sheet which saw those who came in fail to properly click, Palace now need to just regroup with Mateta, Sarr and Wharton amongst key players returning to the starting line-up here.
Shakhtar Donetsk though should be right up for this match because with a two-goal deficit, they have nothing to lose so I expect them to bring more attacking intensity but they can’t be as wasteful as they were in the first leg, whereas Palace were more clinical in converting their shots onto target.
Selhurst Park however is surely going to be a daunting place with the home crowd inevitably set to bring an electric atmosphere to motivate the Palace players, and I do think that Glasner’s Eagles will pull through if they can stay focused and not let the Bournemouth defeat affect them.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
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