- Computer’s prediction revealed
- Palace’s percentile chance of glory
- Shakhtar’s record vs English sides
Crystal Palace travel to Krakow in Poland to play in their first ever European semifinal, facing a first leg away from home against Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk. Palace are well accustomed to playing Ukrainian opposition this season, opening their Conference League campaign away to Dynamo Kyiv with a 2-0 win.
Palace have been heavily tipped as favourites to lift the trophy in Leipzig in May, and their progress to the semifinals has been expected, and therefore received little praise.
Navigating beyond a side with as much European pedigree as Fiorentina, with relative ease, is already a strong achievement, as is reaching the final four in their maiden European bout.
Super Computer Predicts…
Opta’s super computer has casted its prediction ahead of the first leg in Krakow, via Football Insider. Oliver Glasner’s Summer departure has been confirmed and whilst the club will be seeking to find his replacement, he will be hoping to go out with a bang and European success.
The Eagles have been given a 52.3% chance of victory on Thursday, and an overwhelming 75.28% chance of progression through to the final of this season’s Conference League. Palace currently have a staggering 44.43% chance of lifting the trophy, which reinforces the genuine opportunity for success this tournament is providing.
Of course, football is played on a pitch, not in lines of coding, and therefore Shakhtar will be backing themselves to get a result over two legs which is enough to see them through to the final.
Shakhtar’s Record vs English Sides
Shakhtar’s record against English sides in competitive fixtures is not something The Miners will be proud of, or strike much fear into their opponents.
Across 19 meetings with sides from England, Shakhtar have won just five, drawing four times and losing on ten occasions.
Significantly for this first leg however, is that all five of these wins have come in home games.
They have failed to score in six of their last eight meetings against English teams, conceding 18 goals in that time, an average of 2.25 goals per game.
Their most impressive wins against English sides include a 2-1 home win over Manchester City in the 2017/18 Champions League group stage, and a 3-1 aggregate round of 32 win over Tottenham Hotspur all the way back in 2008/09.
Arda Turan’s side will be hoping to repeat a result like that and cause what would be a monumental upset by knocking out the favourites to lift UEFA’s newest prize.
