Conference League: Shakhtar to compete with Crystal Palace for a place in the final
Kyiv • UNN
Shakhtar will play the second leg of the Conference League semi-final against Crystal Palace in London. Following a 1-3 defeat, the Miners will attempt to reach the tournament final.
Today, May 7, it will be revealed whether Shakhtar Donetsk can reach the final of the UEFA Europa Conference League after a 1-3 home defeat to Crystal Palace. The second leg of the semi-final will kick off at 22:00 Kyiv time at the Londoners' home stadium, Selhurst Park, UNN reports.
Details
The first match ended unsuccessfully for the "Miners." The Donetsk side lost 1-3. Notably, the English side's forward Ismaïla Sarr scored just 20 seconds into the match, setting a record for the fastest goal in the Conference League.
Daichi Kamada and Jørgen Larsen also scored for the Londoners. Oleh Ocheretko scored for the "Miners" following a corner kick.
Over the weekend, Crystal Palace suffered a heavy 0-3 defeat to Bournemouth in the EPL. Meanwhile, Shakhtar secured a comeback victory in the "Ukrainian Classico" against Dynamo Kyiv (2-1), bringing the Miners closer to the gold medals in the Ukrainian Premier League.
In this match, the Londoners will be without striker Eddie Nketiah and midfielder Cheick Doucouré. For Shakhtar, Marlon's participation is in doubt.
What you need to know
Selfless defensive play allowed Crystal Palace to gain a two-goal advantage following the first leg. Oliver Glasner's team clinicalized their chances and showed resilience when Shakhtar had significant ball possession.
A ticket to the final seems close, but despite a 3-0 thrashing of Fiorentina at Selhurst Park in the previous round, the "Eagles" are not always flawless in home Conference League matches (three wins, two draws, one loss). However, their unbeaten streak at home across all competitions now stands at seven matches (4 wins, 3 draws).
Shakhtar has never won in their previous 10 matches in England (two draws, eight losses). In the current Conference League campaign, the Ukrainian club has not lost any of its five away matches, scoring at least twice in each of them.
Restraining the tournament's highest-scoring team (23 goals) in front of their own fans in South London is an extremely difficult task, but the Ukrainian championship leader is determined to give the hosts a fight.
Favorite, where to watch
The live broadcast for Ukrainian fans will be available on the "Football 1" channel of the Megogo media service.
Bookmakers favor a confident victory for Crystal Palace, with odds for their win at 1.57. Shakhtar's victory is at 5.75, and a draw is at 4.33.
For reaching the final, bookmakers offer odds of 1.01 for the Londoners and 16 for the Donetsk side.
Addendum
Parallel to the Crystal Palace vs. Shakhtar match, the other semi-finalists will play in France – Strasbourg will host Spain's Rayo Vallecano. The first leg ended in a narrow 1-0 victory for the Spaniards.
In addition, the finalists of the Europa League are to be determined today: one matchup features two English teams – Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest (the first leg ended in a 1-0 victory for Nottingham), while in the other, Germany's Freiburg will host Portugal's Braga (the first leg ended 2-1 in favor of the Portuguese side).