Crystal Palace to face Shakhtar Donetsk in Conference League semi-final

Crystal Palace to face Shakhtar Donetsk in Conference League semi-final

Crystal Palace will face Shakhtar Donetsk in the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.

Palace booked their place in the last four despite defeat at Fiorentina on Thursday night. A 3-0 win over the Italian side at Selhurst Park ensured a 4-2 aggregate success, despite losing on the night in Florence.

Palace won their first-ever major trophy last season with FA Cup success, but are now just three wins from further silverware.

The South London side were demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League due to multi-club ownership issues, though are now pushing to win the competition.

“This is unbelievable for this football club, sensational when you think of the FA Cup last season and then to keep going and create a new chapter in the book,” Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson told TNT Sports.

“The togetherness in the group is phenomenal and at the business end of the season, we come together. We’ve just got to keep pushing on and build momentum.”

The Eagles will take on Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar over two legs in the semi-finals. Shakhtar overcame AZ Alkmaar 5-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.

Arda Turan’s side are seeking a second European trophy, having won the UEFA Cup in 2009. The club are currently playing their home European games for the 2025/26 season in Kraków (Poland) at the Stadion Miejski im, due to the ongoing conflict with in Ukraine.

Palace will travel to Poland for the first leg of the semi-final on April 30th, with the return staged at Selhurst Park on May 7th. Both fixtures will kick-off at 8pm BST.

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