Crystal Palace vs Shakhtar: match preview
Thursday, May 7, 2026
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Shakhtar to face English side Crystal Palace away in the return leg of the UEFA Conference League semi-final tie
May 7, London, Selhurst Park, 22:00
The live broadcast will be available on MEGOGO
Match build-up
Shakhtar are playing in the semi-final stage of European competitions for the fourth time in their history. In the first leg, which took place a week ago in Kraków, Poland, the Miners suffered a defeat (1-3). After that, the team returned to Kyiv and played a crucial Ukrainian Clasico on Sunday, securing a comeback win over Dynamo Kyiv (2-1) through goals from Lucas Ferreira and Lassina Traore. As a result, the Orange-and-Blacks strengthened their lead in the Ukrainian Premier League, where they now hold a 10-point advantage over the nearest challengers and could secure the league title as early as the next round.
In the league match, Arda Turan made extensive rotations, giving most of the players who started the first match against Crystal Palace a rest. This was particularly important given the Pitmen’s demanding travel schedule: immediately after the Clasico, they travelled from Kyiv to London by train, buses and plane, spending 19 hours on the journey. The team arrived in the capital of the United Kingdom on Monday and managed to hold two training sessions there – at Hayes Lane on Tuesday and at Selhurst Park on Wednesday.
Opponents
Crystal Palace also played a domestic league match last weekend after the game in Kraków, where Oliver Glasner rotated most of the starting line-up. However, the London side had a poor Premier League outing, suffering a comprehensive away defeat to Bournemouth (0-3). That said, the Eagles have little remaining motivation in the Premier League season, where they sit 15th with 43 points (goal difference: 36-42). With three rounds remaining, Crystal Palace hold a comfortable eight-point cushion above the relegation zone, while a move into the European places is almost impossible, with the same eight-point gap to those positions. The most prolific players for the English side this season remain Ismaïla Sarr (18 goals and 2 assists) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (13 goals and 3 assists).
Crystal Palace play their home matches at Selhurst Park. The stadium, located in South London, was built in 1924 and last renovated in 2014. It currently has a capacity of around 25,500 spectators. This season, the Eagles have played 25 home matches, recording 8 wins, 11 draws and 6 losses.
Match background and the first game
Shakhtar and Crystal Palace are meeting for the first time in a European competition. The first semi-final leg between the teams took place a week ago, on April 30, at the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Krakow. The English side opened the scoring after 21 seconds, with Sarr netting the fastest goal in UEFA Conference League history. The rest of the first half saw a clear territorial and playing advantage for Shakhtar, but they were unable to convert it into goals. However, early in the second half, the Pitmen equalised in the 47th minute, when Oleh Ocheretko scored following a corner and a header assist from Kaua Elias. Crystal Palace also stepped up their intensity, and Kamada put the visitors back in front in the 58th minute, before Strand Larsen sealed the final result on the counterattack late in the match – 1-3.
The Crystal Palace vs Shakhtar match will be officiated by a refereeing team from Spain: referee – Alejandro Hernández, assistants – José Naranjo and Diego Sánchez, VAR – Carlos del Cerro.
The live broadcast will be available on MEGOGO
Match build-up
Shakhtar are playing in the semi-final stage of European competitions for the fourth time in their history. In the first leg, which took place a week ago in Kraków, Poland, the Miners suffered a defeat (1-3). After that, the team returned to Kyiv and played a crucial Ukrainian Clasico on Sunday, securing a comeback win over Dynamo Kyiv (2-1) through goals from Lucas Ferreira and Lassina Traore. As a result, the Orange-and-Blacks strengthened their lead in the Ukrainian Premier League, where they now hold a 10-point advantage over the nearest challengers and could secure the league title as early as the next round.
In the league match, Arda Turan made extensive rotations, giving most of the players who started the first match against Crystal Palace a rest. This was particularly important given the Pitmen’s demanding travel schedule: immediately after the Clasico, they travelled from Kyiv to London by train, buses and plane, spending 19 hours on the journey. The team arrived in the capital of the United Kingdom on Monday and managed to hold two training sessions there – at Hayes Lane on Tuesday and at Selhurst Park on Wednesday.
Opponents
Crystal Palace also played a domestic league match last weekend after the game in Kraków, where Oliver Glasner rotated most of the starting line-up. However, the London side had a poor Premier League outing, suffering a comprehensive away defeat to Bournemouth (0-3). That said, the Eagles have little remaining motivation in the Premier League season, where they sit 15th with 43 points (goal difference: 36-42). With three rounds remaining, Crystal Palace hold a comfortable eight-point cushion above the relegation zone, while a move into the European places is almost impossible, with the same eight-point gap to those positions. The most prolific players for the English side this season remain Ismaïla Sarr (18 goals and 2 assists) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (13 goals and 3 assists).
Crystal Palace play their home matches at Selhurst Park. The stadium, located in South London, was built in 1924 and last renovated in 2014. It currently has a capacity of around 25,500 spectators. This season, the Eagles have played 25 home matches, recording 8 wins, 11 draws and 6 losses.
Match background and the first game
Shakhtar and Crystal Palace are meeting for the first time in a European competition. The first semi-final leg between the teams took place a week ago, on April 30, at the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Krakow. The English side opened the scoring after 21 seconds, with Sarr netting the fastest goal in UEFA Conference League history. The rest of the first half saw a clear territorial and playing advantage for Shakhtar, but they were unable to convert it into goals. However, early in the second half, the Pitmen equalised in the 47th minute, when Oleh Ocheretko scored following a corner and a header assist from Kaua Elias. Crystal Palace also stepped up their intensity, and Kamada put the visitors back in front in the 58th minute, before Strand Larsen sealed the final result on the counterattack late in the match – 1-3.
The Crystal Palace vs Shakhtar match will be officiated by a refereeing team from Spain: referee – Alejandro Hernández, assistants – José Naranjo and Diego Sánchez, VAR – Carlos del Cerro.