Crystal Palace head to Krakow to face Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg of their Conference League semi-final tomorrow night.
The Eagles face Shakhtar on neutral territory due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia with both teams seeking a place in the final against either Rayo Vallecano or Strasbourg in Leipzig on May 27.
For the Eagles, this is uncharted territory. A first European semi-final in the club’s history after a campaign that started by beating Fredrikstad in the qualifers and, against all early-season expectations, has now delivered them within 180 minutes of a major final.
Palace’s run reads like a slow-burn thriller. After a wobbly league phase that forced them to beat Zrinjski in the play-offs, an extra-time scrap with AEK Larnaca dragged them into the quarter-finals, where they produced their performance of the season — a 3-0 first-leg dismantling of Fiorentina at Selhurst Park. That proved just enough of a cushion to survive a 2-1 reverse in Florence and progress 4-2 on aggregate.
Shakhtar’s path has been more emphatic. Arda Turan’s side secured a top-eight finish in the league phase and brushed aside Lech Poznan and AZ Alkmaar to reach this stage.
Shakhtar have few pressures domestically either, the weekend win at Kudrivka meaning they are eight points clear at the league summit with five games remaining and firmly on course to win the title.
That they now face Palace will come as no surprise to former Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Turkey playmaker Turan, who forecast they would meet before Christmas.
He said: “Crystal Palace are a Premier League team with great potential. I went to the Crystal Palace stadium in December to watch a game. I had a dream [that I would be facing them this season], and some of my friends laughed at this. Now I will make fun of them!”
Team news for Shakhtar Donetsk v Crystal Palace
Palace are without three first-team players: Evann Guessand (knee), Eddie Nketiah (thigh) and Cheick Doucouré (muscle) are all sidelined, while Tyrick Mitchell faces a late fitness test on the Achilles problem that has bothered him in recent weeks. If Mitchell drops out, Borna Sosa will deputise at left-back.
Shakhtar, meanwhile, head into the tie with a fully fit squad.
