Crystal Palace peaking at perfect time as Oliver Glasner eyes parting gift | OneFootball

Eagles aiming for Conference League glory in manager’s final game in charge

The further Crystal Palace progress in the Conference League, the more history they make.

For the south east London club, though, there is just one goal they are working towards as they prepare for their semi-final first leg away to Shakhtar Donetsk.

Despite this being Palace’s maiden European campaign, anything short of winning the Conference League would be deemed a failure.

That is a remarkable expectation for a club that only last May lifted their first piece of major silverware by beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Yet their bullishness is not without foundations.

Palace, propped up by 13 years of Premier League broadcast money, are widely regarded as favourites for the Conference League and appear to have found their feet on the European stage at just the right time.

They were given a scare in the second leg of their quarter-final with Fiorentina, but only after clinically dispatching the two-time Conference League finalists 3-0 at Selhurst Park.

For much of the campaign, Europe has felt like something of a distraction during a chaotic season in which captain Marc Guehi left for Man City and Oliver Glasner announced he would leave the club upon the expiry of his contract this summer.

Oliver Glasner

Getty

Now, though, they are within touching distance of the perfect parting gift for the most successful manager in the club’s history.

Shakhtar are motivated more so by pride than anything else. The Ukrainian giants want to move out of the shadow of war and show that their country is still ‘alive’.

“It doesn't matter if we go to the final or not. We don't go to the final. I'm proud of this team and this coaching staff for this kind of result for this year,” said Shakhtar’s director of football Darijo Srna, the former right-back.

Despite having the youngest manager - former Atletico Madrid midfielder Arda Turan - and the youngest squad in the club’s history, Shakhtar sit eight points clear at the top of the Ukrainian Premier League.

They have not let the war affect them, or the fact that they have had to play all of their European home games this season, 18 hours away in Krakow, Poland.

They will receive support both back home and inside the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium on Thursday evening, with Shakhtar CEO Sergey Palkin confirming that Ukrainian soldiers will be in attendance.

“I think the whole of Ukraine will watch our game on Thursday. Because it's something positive in our country,” Palkin said.

“Something positive is happening. And of course, our players will give their best for 90 minutes to show some positive, nice emotion to our country, to our citizens, to our army. And I believe that we have full support also from the front.

“Not just live in the Krakow Tribune. A lot of army soldiers will be with Shakhtar on Thursday evening. But we can promise that we can fight until the end. For Shakhtar, for Ukrainian fans, and for all Ukrainian citizens.”

Palace have finally begun to live up to their favourites tag, having so frequently looked weighed down by it this season.

After a tumultuous campaign, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the Eagles and a chance to draw the curtain on the most successful period in the club’s history by etching their name on a European title.