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Crystal Palace welcome Shakhtar Donetsk to Selhurst Park on Thursday night knowing a place in the Conference League final is within reach. A 3-1 win in last week’s semi-final first leg has put Palace on the brink of making the first European final in the club’s history. While European qualification for next season could still be achieved through the Premier League, it is increasingly clear Oliver Glasner is placing major emphasis on this competition.
With a convincing lead behind them, Palace are the strong favourites to book their place in the final at 1/200 and are 8/15 with BetGoodwin to win this match while Shakhtar are 14/1 to turn this around with Sky Bet. You can also find more betting offers at the Mirror Betting Hubs Free Bets offers.
The Austrian named a strong XI for the trip away and was rewarded as Ismaila Sarr, Daichi Kamada and Jorgen Strand Larsen all found the net. Sarr’s early opener was his eighth goal of the Conference League campaign, leaving him joint-top of the scoring charts.
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Back on home soil, Palace will be aiming for a fourth consecutive knockout-stage clean sheet at Selhurst Park, having most recently swept Fiorentina aside 3-0 in the quarter-finals. However, their overall form has been patchy, with three defeats in their last five matches in all competitions, including Sunday’s 3-0 loss at Bournemouth.
Shakhtar arrive with far more consistent recent results, recording six wins and two draws in their last nine games in all competitions, with their only defeat coming against Palace. Arda Turan’s side strengthened their grip on the Ukrainian title race on Sunday with a 2-1 win away at Dynamo Kyiv, moving 10 points clear at the top.
After finishing third last season, Shakhtar’s domestic campaign is already a major step forward, but they will be frustrated to be facing such an uphill task in Europe as they chase a first continental trophy since lifting the UEFA Cup in 2008-09. Turan may also be wary of his team’s defensive record, with just one clean sheet in their last seven matches as they try to overturn a two-goal deficit.
- Crystal Palace to win to nil – 13/8 ( BetGoodwin )
- Jean-Philippe Mateta to score anytime – 8/11 ( BetGoodwin )
- Under 2.5 goals – 21/20 ( BetGoodwin )
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Glasner may revert to the XI that started the first leg, with Adam Wharton, Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta all candidates to come back in. Chris Richards and Tyrick Mitchell are also expected to return at the back, with Chadi Riad, Jefferson Lerma, Justin Devenny, Brennan Johnson and Jorgen Strand Larsen among those who could make way.
For Shakhtar, Lucas Ferreira and Lassina Traore will be pushing for starts in attack after scoring in Sunday’s win over Dynamo Kyiv. However, after resting several key players at the weekend, Arda Turan could still stick with the side that began the first leg.
Centre-back Marlon picked up an injury against Dynamo Kyiv and is a major doubt for the visitors.
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