Crystal Palace’s Conference League semi-final opponent has been confirmed after they breezed past Fiorentina to progress in the competition.
This is Palace’s first season in European competition, and thus far they are delivering on their billing as favourites.
A 3-0 win in the home leg had the Eagles in good stead ahead of the reverse fixture in Florence, where they ultimately lost a frenetic second.
The margin of defeat was not enough to knock them out of the competition, though Oliver Glasner will be left concerned by injuries to Adam Wharton and Maxence Lacroix.
Those absentees will factor into his semi-final planning, and Palace’s next opponent is now confirmed.
The Eagles will face Ukrainian Premier League side Shakhtar Donetsk for a place in the final.
The Ukrainian side will host the first leg on April 30, before the second-leg is staged at Selhurst Park on May 7.
The opposite semi-final will pit Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg against La Liga contender Rayo Vallecano.
Shakhtar presently play their home matches at Wisla Krakow’s home stadium, the Stadion Miejski, due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Managed by ex-Barcelona and Galatasaray star Arda Turan, Shakhtar stunned Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar 5-2 in the quarter-finals, also getting the better of Lech Poznan in the round of 16.
They finished the league phase sixth, three points clear of Palace. They enjoyed a relatively sympathetic draw, though, their most notable victories coming against Shamrock Rovers and Aberdeen.
Turan’s side is in the midst of a successful domestic campaign, too, and sit second in the Ukrainian Premier League with eight matches still to play.
This semi-final will not be Palace’s first encounter with a Ukrainian side this season. They beat Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 in the opening match of their league phase campaign.
