Crystal Palace will feel they have one foot in the final of the UEFA Europa Conference League after they managed to defeat Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg.

The English side will now host the Ukrainian outfit in the second leg at Selhurst Park on Friday, May 8 (06:00 AEDT) with a two-goal advantage after winning 3-1 in Poland last week.

Quick Picks

• Our pick: Shakhtar to win
• Value bet: Under 2.5 goals
• Long shot: Shakhtar 1-0

Betting Preview

It was an impressive and dominant performance from outgoing manager Oliver Glasner's side. The Eagles managed to soar high in the first leg, as they managed to get off to the perfect start within seconds of the game starting.

Ismaila Sarr put them on their way with a good finish, although Shakhtar managed to level the tie just moments after the restart of the second half. Oleh Ocheretko netted their equaliser, but a goal from Daichi Kamada and then a brilliant effort from Jorgen Strand Larsen would give Palace a 3-1 lead to take back to Selhurst Park.

Shakhtar might have had more attempts on goal than their counterparts, but only three of the 13 total efforts made by Arda Turan's side were on target. Glasner's men, meanwhile, had 10 shots on goal, with six on target.

Betting Markets to Watch

The betting odds have Crystal Palace as huge opening favourites to win. However, we think there could be value in a Shakhtar win, despite being big underdogs. They have to come out and win by two clear goals if they are to go through, but we think they'll only get a win by one, meaning Palace progress.

The Ukrainians had much more of the ball, boasting 69% possession in the first leg. This is something that might be worth keeping an eye on in the return leg, especially as Shakhtar like to play with the ball and control the pace as much as possible. Indeed, they're going to have to attack Palace, who may be more than comfortable just trying to sit back and see out the 90 minutes with the advantage they have entering the game.

We think there's long shot value in the 2-1 correct score market for Shakhtar because of the reasons we stated above. By extension, we think there's value in the 'Over 2.5 goals', as we think Shakhtar will need to attack, and have the potential to score, but will leave space for Palace to hit on the break.

Our Prediction

Check the latest Crystal Palace vs Shakhtar betting odds at Sportsbet.

Our prediction is that Shakhtar will likely win, but Crystal Palace will go through to the UECL final.

As noted above, we think there will be goals in the game, with both within touching distance of the final, meaning we think the BTTS will hit.

Crystal Palace are a Premier League side who have impressed in their Conference League betting campaign this season, and punters looking to explore soccer betting markets will find plenty of value in this second leg clash.