𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

For many Crystal Palace fans, flights have already been booked and accommodation sorted for the trip to Leipzig at the end of May.

Palace are in a commanding position in the Conference League semi-final against Shakhtar Donetsk, 3-1 up from the first leg, and closing in on a European final, and one of the most significant games in their history.

“We’re on our way, to the Leipzig, we’re on our way,” has been the song of choice from the Palace supporters. It has been louder than ever in recent weeks since overcoming Fiorentina in the quarter-finals and in Poland, it was sung with real belief. They know their team has one foot in the final. The feeling is they will not throw this away.

There is logic to that, and confidence is entirely reasonable. There are plenty of reasons to believe that manager Oliver Glasner and his players will ensure they see this through, but it is not an absolute certainty. For the team to treat it as such would be a huge mistake.

The 3-0 defeat against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday was abject, even though Glasner mitigated “mental fatigue” and the inevitable focus on Thursday’s decider against Shakhtar. It was a much-changed side, too.

Shakhtar are a dangerous opponent. They came back at Palace strongly and at no point in the tie have they wilted. The spirit they showed after conceding the earliest goal in Conference League history and the way they approached the second half should give Palace pause for thought.

Oliver Glasner will want Palace to control Thursday’s second leg (Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

A goal two minutes after the break to equalise was a demonstration of their character and self-belief. That will surely be the attitude they bring to south London.

They will have confidence off the back of a 2-1 win over Dynamo Kyiv on Sunday. It continues their excellent run of form: the defeat to Palace and a round-of-16 second-leg loss to Lech Poznan are the only times they have been beaten in their last 25 games.

The Ukrainian side are also unbeaten away from home in the tournament this season, winning all but one of their games on their travels — although that was a 2-2 draw with AZ in the quarter-finals. Palace do not require a victory on the night, but that record may be on their minds and the minds of the Shakhtar players.

Palace have not thrived at Selhurst Park this season, either. While the atmosphere will be positive, if they concede an early goal, nerves could set in as they have on several other occasions this season.

Any such apprehension would be a natural consequence of anticipating what is at stake.

They have also needed to adapt to different refereeing standards in Europe than they would expect in the Premier League, something that favoured Shakhtar in the first leg. The visitors will likely take the game to Palace, be aggressive and make the most of any contact — anything, in short, that might create momentum and intensity in a game Palace will try to shut down.

Shakhtar’s most impressive player in Poland, and in general, is the right-winger, Alisson Santana. The 20-year-old Brazilian was a constant threat, playing with real intensity, and it was only a lack of finesse with the final balls that let him down.

Alisson Santana was Shakhtar’s best player in the first leg (Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images)

Shakhtar can create opportunities and score goals, far more capably than many of the teams Palace have faced in this competition. 

As Glasner has been at pains to point out, they have more European experience than Palace. Glasner and Daichi Kamada were integral with their know-how in the first leg, but Shakhtar’s European muscle memory is significant.

All of these are far from insurmountable challenges and Palace are heavy favourites for good reason. The onus is on the away side to come and win comfortably, and that could play into Palace’s preferred style of play, allowing them to sit back and hit on the counter. The supporters deserve a chance to enjoy the night and an early home goal would surely see them through.

The focus must remain on being resolute defensively against a strong attacking side with flair and obvious talent. Shakhtar are the best team Palace have faced in the competition and despite the two-goal advantage, their threat deserves to be taken seriously.