Crystal Palace vs Shakhtar Donetsk preview

Europe flag 2025/2026 Europa Conference League, Europe
Selhurst Park Tomorrow - 7:00 PM
Europa Conference League
Crystal Palace CRY
Shakhtar Donetsk SHK
KICKOFF : Tomorrow - 7:00 PM
Semi Finals Leg 2 of 2 Aggregate : 3 - 1

CONTEXT

Crystal Palace hosts Shakhtar Donetsk at Selhurst Park in the second leg of the Europa Conference League semi-finals, carrying a 3-1 aggregate lead from the first leg where they triumphed 3-1 away in Ukraine. This positions Palace favorably, needing only a draw or narrow defeat to advance to the final. Crystal Palace's power score of 85.64 significantly outpaces Shakhtar's 75.01, translating to a 10.6-point advantage that underscores their structural superiority. Form metrics reinforce this, with Palace at 41.72 compared to Shakhtar's 24.44, indicating better momentum entering this decisive clash. Home advantage at Selhurst Park amplifies Palace's strengths in possession and pressing, while Shakhtar faces the Herculean task of overturning the deficit through aggressive play. Limited data on efficiency and set pieces due to unavailable xG stats leaves some uncertainty, but Palace's overall edge suggests control. The match hinges on Palace maintaining discipline against Shakhtar's counter-threats.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Crystal Palace holds a 10.6-point power advantage with a score of 85.64 over Shakhtar Donetsk's 75.01.
  • Form: Crystal Palace boasts a superior form score of 41.72 against Shakhtar Donetsk's 24.44.
  • Squad: Squad composition details are unavailable for both teams in this analysis.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency metrics are not available for either team.
  • Transition: Transition play data is absent from current statistics.
  • Set pieces: Set piece performance data unavailable due to lack of xG and low confidence proxies.
  • xVariable: xG-related variables not provided for Crystal Palace or Shakhtar Donetsk.
  • Market: Crystal Palace 61.3% (Δ+0%) | Draw 22.2% (Δ+0%) | Shakhtar Donetsk 16.5% (Δ+0%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
Crystal Palace O. Glasner
O. Glasner
VS
Shakhtar Donetsk A. Turan
A. Turan
1.8
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
1.75
2.17 i
Last 6 Opponents
Shakhtar Donetsk Rank: 75 W
Fiorentina Rank: 76 L
Fiorentina Rank: 77 W
AEK Larnaca Rank: W
AEK Larnaca Rank: D
Zrinjski Rank: 57 W
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
1.33 i
Last 6 Opponents
Crystal Palace Rank: 86 L
AZ Rank: 74 D
AZ Rank: 76 W
Lech Poznań Rank: 71 L
Lech Poznań Rank: 71 W
Rijeka Rank: 71 D
1
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
1 - 0 - 0
0
No sidelined player data available.

Win Probabilities

Live Win Probability (90 Min)
Home Crystal Palace
61.32%
Draw
22.23%
Away Shakhtar Donetsk
16.45%

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
85.64
75.01
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Crystal Palace
Shakhtar Donetsk
Power Score
85.64
75.01
League Position
10
6
Global Rank
33
114

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
Crystal Palace — Opponent-weighted form score
Shakhtar Donetsk — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Crystal Palace Shakhtar Donetsk

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 1 match between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

Crystal Palace CRY Home
1 matches
Shakhtar Donetsk SHK Away
Match Record
1
Wins
0
0
Draws
0
0
Losses
1
Goals
3
Goals Scored
1
1
Goals Conceded
3
+2
Goal Difference
-2
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-05-05T00:04:42+00:00

STARTING XI - EXPECTED

Match Formation 3-4-3
Match Formation 4-1-4-1
Pitch
D. Henderson
1 D. Henderson
C. Richards
26 C. Richards
M. Lacroix
5 M. Lacroix
J. Canvot
23 J. Canvot
D. Muñoz Mejía
2 D. Muñoz Mejía
A. Wharton
20 A. Wharton
D. Kamada
18 D. Kamada
T. Mitchell
3 T. Mitchell
I. Sarr
7 I. Sarr
J. Mateta
14 J. Mateta
Y. Jesús Pino Santos
10 Y. Jesús Pino Santos
D. Riznyk
31 D. Riznyk
P. Azevedo Pereira
13 P. Azevedo Pereira
M. Matviyenko
22 M. Matviyenko
V. Bondar
5 V. Bondar
V. Tobias da Silva
17 V. Tobias da Silva
O. Ocheretko
27 O. Ocheretko
E. de Sousa Lemos
7 E. de Sousa Lemos
M. Gomes Claudino
6 M. Gomes Claudino
P. Delmino da Silva
10 P. Delmino da Silva
A. Santana Lopes da Fonseca
30 A. Santana Lopes da Fonseca
K. Elias Nogueira
19 K. Elias Nogueira

General Information

Date & Time
May 07, 2026, 07:00 PM
Competition
2025/2026 Europa Conference League, Europe · Semi Finals · Leg 2 of 2 · Aggregate : 3 - 1
Stadium
Selhurst Park
Capacity
25456
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair

Expected Lineup

Starting XI ▼

1
Dean Henderson
Dean Henderson Goalkeeper
6.69
5
Maxence Lacroix
Maxence Lacroix Defender
7.18
3
Tyrick Mitchell
Tyrick Mitchell Defender
7.11
26
Chris Richards
Chris Richards Defender
7.12
23
Jaydee Canvot
Jaydee Canvot Defender
6.84
2
Daniel Muñoz
Daniel Muñoz Defender
7.27
20
Adam Wharton
Adam Wharton Midfielder
7.04
18
Daichi Kamada
Daichi Kamada Midfielder
7.2
14
Jean-Philippe Mateta
Jean-Philippe Mateta Attacker
6.74
7
Ismaïla Sarr
Ismaïla Sarr Attacker
7.21
10
Yéremy Pino
Yéremy Pino Attacker
7.17

Starting XI ▼

31
Dmytro Riznyk
Dmytro Riznyk Goalkeeper
6.68
17
Vinícius Tobias
Vinícius Tobias Defender
6.97
5
Valeriy Bondar
Valeriy Bondar Defender
7.17
22
Mykola Matvienko
Mykola Matvienko Defender
6.91
13
Pedro Henrique
Pedro Henrique Defender
7.16
6
Marlon Gomes
Marlon Gomes Midfielder
7.12
27
Oleg Ocheretko
Oleg Ocheretko Midfielder
6.76
30
Alisson
Alisson Attacker
7.03
10
Pedrinho
Pedrinho Attacker
7.29
7
Eguinaldo
Eguinaldo Attacker
6.86
19
Kauã Elias
Kauã Elias Attacker
7.05

CONCLUSION

Crystal Palace's 3-1 aggregate lead and home advantage at Selhurst Park position them strongly to progress in the Europa Conference League semi-final. Their 10.6-point power edge and better form score highlight a clear superiority over Shakhtar Donetsk, who need a two-goal victory without concession to force extra time. Palace's structural strengths should allow them to manage the game conservatively, exploiting transitions while neutralizing Shakhtar's attacks. Despite data gaps in set pieces and efficiency, the Eagles' overall profile suggests a professional performance to seal advancement. Shakhtar's comeback hopes rest on early pressure, but Palace's resilience makes an upset unlikely.