Shakhtar Donetsk tackle English facet Crystal Palace, whereas Rayo Vallecano have Strasbourg to deal with in their UEFA Conference League semi-final.
See what lies forward in the first legs.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Crystal Palace
Shakhtar boss Arda Turan felt that destiny might need performed its half in lining his facet up for a semi-final towards Palace. “I went to the Crystal Palace stadium in December to watch a game,” he mentioned after the Pitmen concluded their quarter-final success towards AZ Alkmaar. “I had a dream, and some of my friends laughed at this. Now, I will make fun of them!”
Having reached the semis in their first season in this competitors, Shakhtar aren’t any joke, with Palace boss Oliver Glasner effectively conscious of the 2008/09 UEFA Cup winners with a knack for recognizing prime Brazilian expertise. “I expect a very technical side,” mentioned Glasner, who took some consolation from the undeniable fact that Palace beat Shakhtar’s everlasting rivals Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 in the league part.
Palace are charting new terrain after making it to the semi-finals in solely their second continental marketing campaign. They boast the prime scorer left in the competitors in seven-goal Ismaïla Sarr, and goalkeeper Dean Henderson feels they’re solely simply hitting their stride, explaining: “We’re starting to build momentum at just the right time, and it’s fantastic.”
Rayo Vallecano vs Strasbourg
As with Palace, Rayo’s second season in European competitors goes slightly effectively, the facet from the Madrid suburbs having now surpassed their earlier greatest, once they have been eradicated in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals in 2000/01. “We want to take it one step further, and we want to improve and correct our mistakes,” mentioned midfielder Isi Palazón after his facet scuffed previous AEK Athens in the final eight. “Hopefully this dream will last a long time.”
Against AEK, Rayo constructed up a 3-0 lead in the first leg, then clung on in the return leg, going 3-0 down earlier than Isi Palazón’s aim stopped the rot. In distinction, their semi-final opponents Strasbourg misplaced their away sport towards Mainz 2-0 then roared again to win 4-0 at house (regardless of having a penalty saved at 2-0 up).
The French facet are in their first main European semi-final too, with their youthful crew having managed coach Liam Rosenior’s departure to Chelsea and the arrival of his fellow Englishman Gary O’Neil. “I’m not scared of failing,” mentioned the ex-Bournemouth and Wolves boss, whose facet are additionally in competition in the French Cup. “Let’s see what we can do. We still have no trophies at the moment. We still have to work hard to get anywhere near any.”
Where is the 2026 Conference League remaining?
Leipzig Stadium in Leipzig, Germany, is the venue for the Conference League remaining on 27 May 2026. The 47,000-capacity stadium staged 5 video games at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and 4 at UEFA EURO 2024, together with the dramatic 1-1 draw between Croatia and Italy in Group B.
