Crystal Palace’s European adventure continues this week with the first leg of their Conference League semi-final.
Oliver Glasner’s side face Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk away from home.
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Palace’s Conference League campaign continues with a semi-final first leg this weekCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
However, the match will be played at a neutral venue due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
As a result, the first leg will be played at the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Krakow, Poland before the return tie at Selhurst Park next week
Palace made the final four of UEFA’s tertiary competition by beating Fiorentina while Shakhtar saw off AZ Alkmaar.
The winner of the tie will take on Rayo Vallecano or Strasbourg in the final.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALLShakhtar Donetsk vs Crystal Palace: Date and how to watch
Palace travel to Poland to face Shakhtar on Thursday, April 30.
Kick-off for their first leg encounter is scheduled for 8pm.
talkSPORT 2 will also have live coverage of the contest from 7.45pm with commentary from Alex Crook and former England Women’s striker Lianne Sanderson.
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The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 2 in the United Kingdom, with coverage to begin at 7pm.
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Shakhtar host Palace in Poland on Thursday night, with kick-off at 8pm on talkSPORT 2Credit: GettyShakhtar Donetsk vs Crystal Palace: Team news
Glasner faces a potential injury headache ahead of Thursday’s first leg.
Tyrick Mitchell was forced off with a recurring Achilles issue during their defeat to Liverpool on Saturday.
The full-back is currently being assessed ahead of the trip to face Shakhtar.
Meanwhile, long-term absentee Cheick Doucoure remains sidelined with a return date currently unknown.
Evann Guessand is not expected to feature in either leg of the semi-final.
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Glasner could be without Mitchell after the defender was forced off on SaturdayCredit: Getty
The forward is currently ruled out until next month with a knee injury.
Palace’s trip to Brentford on May 17 has been earmarked for Guessand’s comeback.
Eddie Nketiah will miss the rest of this season through injury, though.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Crystal Palace: What has been said?
Palace lost 3-1 at Liverpool on Saturday but Maxence Lacroix believes that defeat will set his side up well for their semi-final.
He said: “I think we deserved something better [at Anfield]. We had the best chances, but we weren’t really efficient in front of goal.
“I think we played well. It’s not easy to play like this in Anfield. We could score, I think, two goals. It’s the finish, the last step [we missed]. We have to say congratulations to the goalkeeper. He made some really good saves.
“Maybe we need more accuracy in front of the goal, but we are sure that next game we will score the goals.
“I think this match prepares us well for the Conference League. We showed a great performance. We’re ready for the next match in Europe.
Europa League 2025/26 fixtures
Quarter finals
Shakhtar Donetsk 5–2 (Agg) AZCrystal Palace 4–2 (Agg) FiorentinaRayo Vallecano 4–3 (Agg) AEK AthensMainz 05 2–4 (Agg) Strasbourg
Semi-finals
Thursday, April 30
Shakhtar Donetsk v Crystal Palace, 8pm – LIVE on talkSPORT 2Rayo Vallecano v Strasbourg, 8pm
Thursday, May 7
Crystal Palace v Shakhtar Donetsk, 8pm – LIVE on talkSPORT 2Strasbourg v Rayo Vallecano, 8pm
Final
Wednesday, May 27, 8pm – Red Bull Arena, Leipzig – LIVE on talkSPORT
“Every match in the Premier League, if we go all out, will prepare us well for these kinds of matches. We take them really seriously.
“We’re ready – I think we showed it. The result was a bit tough, but we played good football. We were able to put Liverpool in trouble. That’s what we want to do in these matches in the Conference League.
“For Palace to play in the semi-finals of the Conference League, it’s a beautiful achievement. But everyone knows that we want more, so we go there to win, of course.
“[Shakhtar] are a really good team, one of the best in this competition. But I think we showed that we have the quality to beat anyone, so we want to win.
“We go there with the same mentality that we had to come here [Anfield]: to score and to make them run. I hope we have more accuracy.”
Read More on talkSPORTShakhtar Donetsk vs Crystal Palace: talkSPORT BET OddsShakhtar Donetsk – 27/10Draw – 9/4Crystal Palace – 19/20
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