Shakhtar Donetsk take on the visitors Crystal Palace in the first leg of UEFA Conference League semifinals. The match will be played on Thursday, April 30th at Synerise Arena - Stadion Miejski im. Henryka Reymana (Kraków).
Shakhtar will try to squeeze the maximum out of this tie. “The Miners” have long been the dominant force in Ukrainian football, but last season they did not even finish second — an incredible failure not seen for a decade. It is no surprise that Arda Turan was appointed in the summer. Things have not gone perfectly for the young coach: they lost to Dynamo Kyiv in the cup as early as autumn, and in the Ukrainian Premier League they have struggled to pull away from the surprise contender LNZ Cherkasy. Their recent form has been mixed, with the team alternating solid wins with frustrating slip-ups. Still, they have shown resilience in key matches and remain competitive in decisive moments. In the Europa League qualifiers, they were eliminated by Panathinaikos FC on penalties after two goalless draws. Later in this competition, they struggled against Servette FC but advanced, then successfully passed the main round with 4 wins and 13 points. In the playoffs, they twice secured progression thanks to convincing first-leg victories, overcoming Lech Poznań and holding AZ Alkmaar to a draw away after strong home performances.
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Crystal Palace had established themselves as a solid Premier League side under Roy Hodgson, but no more than that. The breakthrough came last year when Oliver Glasner delivered their first trophies — first the domestic cup, and then the Community Shield after the summer break. Their recent performances have been fairly strong, especially in European competition where they have shown confidence and consistency. They have managed to keep a good balance between attack and defense, particularly in knockout matches. The new league campaign also started well, but by winter they faded, partly because Glasner openly announced he would not extend his contract and would leave in the summer. Nevertheless, in the UEFA Europa Conference League, the British debutants impressed: they eliminated Fredrikstad FK in qualification, collected 10 points in the main round, and in 2026 knocked out HŠK Zrinjski Mostar, AEK Larnaca and ACF Fiorentina.
The teams have not met before, although for the English side the main round began with a 2–0 win over Dynamo Kyiv. The London side look like favorites even now. However, Shakhtar are also quite capable — backing over 2.5 total goals looks like the best option.
Prediction for the match: Over 2.5 scored goals.
