Shakhtar Donetsk vs Crystal Palace Preview & Prediction | 2025-26 UEFA Conference League | Semi-Final
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This UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final first-leg is being played at the neutral venue of Henryk-Reyman Stadium in Krakow in Poland as Shakhtar Donetsk face Crystal Palace.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports / USA – Not televised
How to watch online: UK – HBO Max / USA – Paramount+
Key stats
- This is the first UEFA competition match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Crystal Palace.
- This is the first meeting between teams from Ukraine and England in the semi-final of a UEFA men’s club competition.
- Shakhtar Donetsk have won only one of their last ten UEFA matches against English clubs (D2 L7).
- Shakhtar Donetsk’s only previous UEFA two‑legged ties against English opposition were a 3-1 aggregate win over Tottenham in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup round of 32 and a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Fulham in the 2009/10 Europa League round of 32.
- Shakhtar Donetsk are appearing in their fourth UEFA semi‑final. They beat Dynamo Kyiv 3-2 on aggregate in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup, lost 5-3 on aggregate to Sevilla in the 2015/16 Europa League, and were defeated 5–0 by Inter in the single‑leg 2019/20 Europa League semi‑final.
- Shakhtar Donetsk are the first Ukrainian club to reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference League.
- Shakhtar Donetsk’s appearance this season is the first by a Ukrainian team in a UEFA men’s club semi‑final since their 2019/20 Europa League run. The last Ukrainian side to win a UEFA semi‑final was Dnipro in the 2014/15 Europa League, when they defeated Napoli 2-1 on aggregate.
- Shakhtar Donetsk have lost only two of their 18 UEFA games this season (W10 D6).
- Shakhtar Donetsk have lost the first leg in only one of their last 29 UEFA two-legged ties (W17 D11).
- This is only Crystal Palace’s second season in UEFA competition, following their 1998 Intertoto Cup campaign, and they are in a major UEFA semi-final for the first time.
- Crystal Palace’s only previous UEFA match against a Ukrainian team was a 2–0 win over Dynamo Kyiv in Poland on Matchday 1 of the 2025/26 Conference League proper.
- Crystal Palace are the fifth English club to reach the UEFA Conference League semi‑finals, after Leicester (2021/22), West Ham (2022/23), Aston Villa (2023/24) and Chelsea (2024/25). West Ham and Chelsea won their semi‑final ties and went on to lift the trophy.
- Crystal Palace have won their last four UEFA two-legged ties.
- Crystal Palace have lost only three of their 14 previous UEFA matches this season (W7 D4).
- Ismaïla Sarr has scored in Crystal Palace’s last three UEFA Conference League matches, netting four goals across those games.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Crystal Palace prediction
Shakhtar Donetsk come into this one on the back of a 3-1 defeat of Kudrivka to sit at the top-of-the-table in the Ukrainian Premier League. In the quarter-finals of the UECL, Shakhtar entertainingly and impressively defeated AZ Alkmaar by five goals to two on aggregate a couple of weeks ago.
Oliver Glasner and his Crystal Palace side have turned things around in the last couple of months as the Eagles compete for Europe in the Premier League, once again, and seek a third trophy ever – and third in 12 months, after they eased past Fiorentina in the quarter-finals earlier this month.
Crystal Palace will believe they should at least avoid defeat on neutral territory and so siding with the Eagles would appear the way to go for this first-leg in Poland.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Crystal Palace tip: Double chance – Crystal Palace to win or draw
