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Crystal Palace will take on Shakhtar Donetsk in the second leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday, 7 May, with the Eagles on the brink of another cup final.
A 3-1 victory last week in Poland has given Oliver Glasner's side a brilliant chance of qualifying for the final in Leipzig, but they will need to guard against complacency at Selhurst Park against a capable Shakhtar side.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our Today's betting tips page for more of our expert Conference League predictions.
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Crystal Palace vs Shakhtar Donetsk key stats
- Crystal Palace are unbeaten across their last seven matches at Selhurst Park (four wins, three draws)
- Shakhtar Donetsk have won just one of their last four Conference League matches.
- More than two goals have been scored in each of Crystal Palace's last three Conference League matches.
Crystal Palace vs Shakhtar Donetsk preview: Eagles to finish the job
| Crystal Palace | vs | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
| 15th (Bundesliga) | Position | 1st (Ukrainian Premier League) |
| 43 | Points | 63 |
| 36 | Goals For | 61 |
| 42 | Goals Against | 17 |
| 12 | Clean Sheets | 16 |
| 15th | Home Rank | 1st |
| 9th | Away Rank | 2nd |
There is bound to be both excitement and nerves in the air on Thursday night with Crystal Palace on the brink of their first-ever European final, but the passionate Selhurst Park crowd will be with them every step of the way.
Their strong performances at home in this competition (just one defeat in six matches) should breathe plenty of confidence into the squad, as should last week's display in Poland, where they were worthy winners.
Oliver Glasner set up his team to play on the counter-attack, and they did it expertly. Despite only having 29% of the ball, they created more big chances and generated more xG than Shakhtar, and the current state of the tie means they can play in exactly the same way this week.
The pace and quality of Ismaila Sarr were huge weapons for Palace in Poland, and the Senegalese forward will be raring to go again on Thursday after being given a rest at the weekend.
Adam Wharton and Jean-Philippe Mateta should also come back into the side, but Cheick Doucoure, Evann Guessand and Eddie Nketiah all remain in the treatment room.
As for Shakhtar, they can expect another evening with all of the ball, but they need to figure out a way to be more effective with it.
The Ukrainian giants have far more European pedigree than Crystal Palace, and playing away from home shouldn't have any impact on them, as even their 'home' games are currently played away from Ukraine at present.
Aside from last week's defeat, Shakhtar are actually in decent form. Of their last nine fixtures, that is their only loss, and they recorded an impressive 2-1 victory away against Dynamo Kyiv at the weekend to move ten points clear at the top of the Ukrainian Premier League.
Like Glasner, Arda Turan rested key players at the weekend, but Marlon picked up an injury that could rule him out of the trip to England.
Crystal Palace vs Shakhtar Donetsk form guide & betting tips
| Crystal Palace | vs | Shakhtar Donetsk |
|---|---|---|
| L-D-L-W-L | Form | W-W-W-L-W |
| 5 | Goals For | 14 |
| 9 | Goals Against | 8 |
| W-L-W | Conference League form | W-D-L |
Whispers predicts: Crystal Palace 2-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Crystal Palace haven't lost a second leg at home this season, and beat Fiorentina 3-0 in their last Conference League match at Selhurst Park. Crystal Palace to win has been best priced at 3/5.
More than two goals have been scored in six of Crystal Palace's last seven matches in all competitions. Over 2.5 goals has been priced at 4/5.
Ismaila Sarr has scored eight goals in the Europa Conference League this season. Sarr is priced at 13/8 to score anytime.
> Crystal Palace to win at 3/5 | Likelihood: Probable
> Over 2.5 goals at 4/5 | Likelihood: Probable
> Ismaila Sarr to score anytime at 13/8 | Likelihood: Probable