Shakhtar Donetsk v Crystal Palace: Europa Conference League semi-final, first leg – live
Key events
Here’s Ed Aarons’ excellent piece on Shakhtar’s journey.
Shakhtar reached the last four of the Europa League in 2016 and 2020 before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 changed everything. Most of the club’s foreign players departed after special Fifa regulations allowed them to leave for free. Shakhtar failed with a claim for up to €50m in compensation and were forced to start from scratch.
Preamble
Yes, the one in Nottingham is a tantalising fixture … but this’ll be good, too, promise. Oliver Glasner has entered the final weeks of his spell at Crystal Palace with a prize still available; the club who took 120 years to win their first major trophy could make it two in two. They’re in Krakow after sweeping aside Fiorentina in the quarters, a 3-0 win at home in the first leg allowing for a 2-1 loss in the second.
In the other corner, Arda Turan’s Shakhtar Donetsk. The former Atlético Madrid and Turkey midfielder is on his way to a league title in his first season at the helm, with Shakhtar eyeing up their second European trophy – they won the Uefa Cup in 2009, right before the Europa League rebrand. His side are here after a 5-2 aggregate victory over AZ Alkmaar. All of their Conference League “home” games this season have been played at the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium, owing to obvious reasons. “There is war in Ukraine and yet people live their lives,” said Turan. “Every day shows that this nation never gives up.” We get going at 8pm BST.
